Naruto AU- Heartbreak and Healing
by WandCloakStone
Summary: AU where after the big, end fight, Naruto leaves on a mission for 6 years. When he gets back, Hinata is understandably upset. How can Naruto get her back. Last chapter is smut but the rest is not.
1. Homecoming: Hinata's Rage

_(a/n I haven't read the very end of Naruto yet, only read a few wiki articles about what happens to specific people, so any details I get wrong, attribute to the "au" part of this fanfic)_

 _~Before~_

I tiptoed very quietly across the room and dressed in a hurry. I knew I had to leave soon but I turned back toward the bed for another look.

The breeze from the open window lightly ruffled her long, dark hair. I stared down at her, my heart breaking. A shaft of moonlight fell on her beautiful face, peaceful with sleep. The blanket dipped low on her bare back and the sight was so inviting, I almost laid back down and threw my arms around her. I said a silent prayer asking that she not hate me too much for doing this. Kakashi's plea for me to take the mission was the only thing that kept me from laying back down beside the love of my life.

Leaning down, I kissed her cheek gently, laid a scroll beside her pillow and leapt through the window into a tall tree next to the Hyuga main house. It took every ounce of willpower I had not to go back and tell her everything and to beg her to wait for me. With every step, I felt my heart break apart more and more.

"I'm sorry, Hinata." I whispered as I raced to the exit to the village, wondering when I'd get to see her again.

 _~now~_

That was six years ago now, almost to the day. I've had no contact with the village in that time, except to give updates to Kakashi, and even that was dangerous.

It's dusk, the last of the evening sun shining merrily on the houses I pass on my way through town. I'm looking forward to a bowl of ramen and seriously thinking out what I'll say to Hinata. If she'll even want to hear me out. I can't blame her if she wouldn't want to.

Just as I'm thinking I'm going to skip the ramen and look for Hinata straight away, I hear a high, breathy laugh coming from the barbecue restaurant to my left. Sakura's voice floats out after the laugh along with a steady stream of music and steam from cooking pork.

I peek in the door and see a group of most of my leaf village friends in the back, a couple of tables pushed together to accommodate all of them. Ino and Sakura sit on the table next to Kiba and Shikamaru. Choji hovers near the grill, blocking a few chairs from me. I see TenTen and Rock Lee having an animated conversation.

As I'm hesitating on the doorstep, Sakura looks up, a smile playing on her face from whatever Kiba said until she spots me. Her mouth hangs open in shock and she makes a move to get up. I shake my head, quickly stepping inside. Sakura's hair is longer now but other than that she looks pretty much the same.

A few of the others have started turning towards me, seeing Sakura's reaction. "N-naruto?" Sakura whispers.

"Hey," I pause awkwardly, "What's going on guys?"

There's a chorus of shocked "Naruto"s, some a little more angry than others and everyone's asking where I've been and if I'm okay. Just as I'm about to answer, Choji moves and the last person of the group is reveled. I think my heart's going to pound right out of my chest.

Hinata.

She's more beautiful than I remembered. She's wearing a floaty lilac dress and her silky hair is pulled back in a sloppy braid so tendrils float around her face. My heart aches looking at her, longing for her. I see her eyebrows knit together and she drops her head to stare determinedly at her lap.

Suddenly I feel like throwing up. She's mad. She'll never forgive me. It's what I deserve but I couldn't help hoping.

Sakura is shaking my arm, repeating my name. "Oh hey, sorry Sakura, I um... I'm back."

"Yeah I see that" she rolls her eyes , "Where were you?! Are you hungry?" She soon shoves a plate of barbecue pork and vegetables at me and looks at me expectantly. Rock Lee offers me his chair but I shake my head, putting the plate down.

"Hinata?" I ask quietly. She glances at me, then quickly away like it hurts her. "Can I talk to you? Please?" I can feel all eyes dart between us and just when I think she's not going to answer, she stands up very quickly, almost tipping her chair over. She races past me, taking great care not to touch me at all. I run out after her, calling out a quick "see you guys later" to everyone else. I can hear them start gossiping about us before I'm even all the way out the door.

Hinata turns around very quickly, stopping me in my tracks. "What?" she demands in a very un-Hinata voice. I can see plainly all the hurt and confusion on her face for a second before she bottles it up again. I notice that I've grown a few more inches since the last time I saw her. The top of her head barely clears my shoulder and I have the strongest desire to reach out and hug her since we're so close.

But I take a step back and try to explain myself. "Hinata, I'm so sorry. Please believe me. I had no choice, I didn't want to leave you. I-"

"Then why did you?!" she practically yells, a ragged edge to her voice. I'm taken aback for a moment. Hinata has never yelled at anyone as far as I know. It's pretty scary and heartbreaking. She wipes violently under her left eye, turning away from me so I don't catch the tears. "You left, Naruto, you _left_! For six years with no word and you think an 'I'm sorry' is going to fix that?!"

Now I really want to hold her close. "It was a mission, Nata. I had t-" She turns abruptly and storms away towards the Hyuga compound.

"Hinata! I had to, Kakashi ordered me!" I take a few steps toward her, already feeling hollow and defeated. "He told me no contact with the village!" she's already a few blocks away though and probably can't hear me. "I'm sorry"

I turn the other direction and head to my small, lonely apartment, a few tears tracking down my cheeks. I pull out my key and go to open the door but it won't open. I try the key again and nothing. "Come on" I groan, "not this too." With one more try I figure the landlord changed the lock and I'm out of an apartment. I guess that's what you get for being gone for six years.

Wearily, I head back to the restaurant and wait for someone else to come out. Kiba's the first to leave but I don't dare ask him. Being part of Hinata's old team probably means he's not too fond of me right now. I'm just about to go ask Iruka if I can crash at his place when Sakura and Ino come out.

"Hey," I say as I come up beside them. Ino raises an eyebrow at me and smirks a little.

"What's up, Naruto?" Sakura asks as we walk along the now dark streets, eyeing me with concern.

I try to put a little of the old Naruto spirit back into my voice when I answer. "Can I crash at your place tonight? I just tried my apartment but the lock has been changed." I rub a hand over my face, trying to discretely wipe away missed tears, my bravado slipping. "I'm really tired and ... and it'll just be the one night."

She nods, "of course, Naruto. Here," she thrusts a small take out box into my hands, "I was going to bring this to you before I went home. I saved a few leftovers before Choji ate it all."

Ino gives Sakura a meaningful look as she says her goodbyes and flips her long blonde hair at us as she turns off from the road we're on.

"She's as gossipy as ever, is she?" I ask quietly. "The whole village is gonna know Hinata hates me by sun up, won't they?" There's a pain in the back of my head that's radiating down my neck, an unfortunate side effect of unshed tears.

"I don't think she hates you, Naruto, not really. She's hurt." she sniffs "I'm a bit angry myself. Six years and you can't send one postcard?"

I shake my head quickly, "Kakashi gave me strict orders. I was ... was not supposed to contact anyone nor tell them I was leaving. I needed the element of surprise. By the time everyone realized I'd gone, I was already hot on the trail for- um the mission." I lapse back into silence, afraid I've said too much. I don't know what I'm allowed to disclose or not.

"It was Sasuke, right?" she says more than asks.

"Oh, Sakura..." I rub the back of my aching neck and decide to tell her everything she wants to know. She was part of team 7 after all. "yeah, only don't spread it around, okay?" I look away from her, staring at all the small changes around me; cleaner sidewalks, more flowers, new signs. Kakashi's been doing a great job as Hokage, at least in one aspect. The village has never looked better. "I wasn't sent to get him back, just to follow him and see what his plans were. Kakashi was worried he still had evil intent on the village."

"But you're back so it can't have been anything bad right?"

"No, nothing against the leaf. He heard some rumors of another clan who has a similar kekkei genkai to his. He went looking for them. It took him five years and then I stuck around another year to make sure he wasn't planning anything with them."I see Sakura's eyes widen. "They live half a week's journey from the far side of the Land of Earth. And for a long while they were nothing but a whisper of rumor. But Sasuke eventually found them."

She looks away then back at me, her brow furrowed. "So..." she fiddles with the end of a lock of hair for a while before finally asking "is he staying with them then?"

I scratch the back of my head, feeling awkward. "Um yeah, I think so. Obviously they're not Uchiha but they do have their version of the sharingan, with an ultimate form even more powerful than rinne sharingan." I heave a heavy sigh "I don't think Sasuke is coming back anytime soon" Or ever, I add mentally. I can't make myself say it out loud though, looking at Sakura's dejected face. The pink haired kunoichi stops outside a peaceful row of apartments and unlocks one. She ushers me inside, flipping on a few lights.

Exhausted,physically but mostly emotionally, I kick off my shoes and drop my bag, sitting heavily on a big, comfortable couch, propping my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands. I let out a ragged breath, remembering Hinata's stricken face.

"Naruto?" I look up "Just give her some time. Then try explaining again why you left. I think she'll come around."

I let out a soft, harsh laugh "I don't think so. She has every right to hate me. What I did was pretty bad."

"You just left is all. For a mission no less. She'll have to see it rationally eventually. I know you two were dating but it's not like you did anything too awful. Right?"

My cheeks flare up. She doesn't miss it.

She cocks her hip to the side and puts her hands on either side of her waist. "What? What did you do, Naruto?"

"I kinda left the night we ...ahh...did some things for the first time." I shut my eyes, scratching the back of my head vigorously. I feel like my face is going to catch on fire. "She was sleeping when it was time to leave."

"Naruto! You didn't!" great now she's angry. "You idiot"

"Wait, wait! I didn't mean for things to go that way. I knew I was leaving and just wanted a nice, long day with her. Things got away from me. I love her!" The last part causes a surge of anguish to wash upon me. It must show on my face because Sakura softens, no longer angry. A great sadness settles over me and I slump back against the couch. "All I did to warn her was leave a stupid note. 'I'm sorry'" I recite "'I love you.' I couldn't even say I'd be back soon or anything."

"I'm sorry, Naruto." I hear a door open and then close a moment later and then Sakura drops some blankets on the couch next to me. "Just- just give it some time. It'll be okay"

I nod wearily, not really believing her. Flopping back on the couch, I pull a blanket over myself. Sakura hesitates by the light switch. "I'm glad you're back, Naruto." She turns off the light and heads back to her bedroom, I assume. Finally, I let the tears escape. I turn away from the moonlight streaming through a window and quickly fall asleep.


	2. Naruto's back: settling into the village

(A/n for those wondering, when he left they were 17/18. And now 23/24)

I wake up feeling just as sad as the day before but definitely more rested. Even a couch feels pretty good after sleeping on a mat on the ground for the better part of six years. I drag myself into the bathroom and study my face in the mirror. My hair's gotten longer, I practically look like my dad now. And I could use a shave. I can't even see the fox whiskers on my cheeks through the hair. I guess it has been awhile since I've been anywhere with a mirror, not much time for grooming while you're hiding from a very skilled shinobi.

After grabbing my bag from the living room, I take a quick shower then shave and give my hair a good trim. It's a little shorter than I usually wear it but I'm out of practice and I messed up. Oh well. I clean up, get dressed, and put away all my stuff as quietly as I can.

Sakura it still sleeping so I leave a note thanking her and, after folding up my blankets and leaving them on the couch, I set out for my old apartment again. I hope he didn't throw out all my stuff. Not that I had anything super important there, but it would be a pain to have to replace all my kitchen stuff and video games.

Luckily, my stuff was just in storage but I'm out of luck for my old apartment. Someone's been living there for 3 years now. When I ask for a new one, he tells me he's full up but recommends a place across town.

Before I head there, I go check in with Kakashi. I probably should have done it right away last night but I got distracted. I don't think he'll be upset.

"So, Naruto. I see you made it back okay." I make an angry sound of agreement. "What? Did things not go smoothly?"

"The mission went fine, sensei. It just took so long that now some people are mad at me." I cross my arms over my chest and slump in my seat, not looking at the silver haired man. I'm probably acting like a child but I can't seem to help it.

He leans forward a little, eyes crinkled in a smile. "No one else would have done the mission justice. You're the only one with the skill and motive to get it done right. Everyone else would've stayed just long enough to know he wasn't coming back. But you, you stayed til you knew what he was planning on doing for at least a few years. You did well, Naruto, surely your friends must know it was for an important mission by now?"

"Some of them don't care." I grumble. But his words do make me feel a little better. It's always nice ot hear that you've done well from your sensei.

"Ah, you must mean Hinata Hyuga, yes?" I turn back to him quickly, looking surprised, about to ask him a million questions. He holds up a hand and continues "She came in a day or two after you left, asking about you."

"What did you tell her?! Was she mad? What did she say? Come on, sensei, tell me!"

"I would if you would stop asking questions" he retorts. "Now then...she asked where you'd gone and I said you had to leave the village for something very important. She pressed for details which I had to deny her, you understand. She asked when you'd be back and I said as soon as you could." an exasperated look flitted across his face for a moment before he said, "She was most persistent, coming in every week for about a year and a half asking about you. I told her you were safe but that I couldn't tell her anything else. After I told her it looked like you wouldn't be back for quite some time she said she understood and quietly left and hasn't been in since except to accept missions."

"Hinata..." I whisper.

"I told her what I could, Naruto."

I sigh heavily, "I know, Kakashi. I was just gone too long."

"Yes, six years of debriefing to get through." his shoulders slump at the thought. "Try to make it short, alright Naruto?"

I walk him through what I learned from watching Sasuke all those years. Being much more thorough than I was with Sakura. Kakashi writes it all down wearily. After I have him all caught up, I remember my apartment situation.

"Kakashi sensei! Couldn't you have kept paying for my apartment for me? I went back there last night and couldn't get in. Someone else has been renting it for three years. I asked you to keep up with it when we were planning this mission!"

He puts a hand to his chin, thinking, "Oh yeah, I thought I was forgetting something. My bad."

" _Your baaaad!"_ I yell, "Jeez sensei. How'd they let you be hokage anyway. You're so forgetful."

He just laughs it off. "Well you have a lot of savings now from your long mission. You can afford a better apartment."

"Yeah yeah. Whatever." I stand up, going to the door. "See ya later, sensei."

Kinda hungry. But I should really get myself a place to live again. I can't keep freeloading off of Sakura and I'd really like a have a real bed again. My stomach growls again, louder now, so I decide to stop at Ichiraku.

"Naruto!" They both exclaim. "Our best customer, back at last" Teuchi adds. Ayame asks if I'm okay and tells me the first bowl is on them. I hungrily dig into the delicious first bowl of miso ramen with barbeque pork and nearly finish it before I think to ask them about Hinata. She used to go to Ichiraku's every once in a while without me.

"So, Ayame...did-did Hinata ever come in while I was gone?"

She turns to me, brows furrowed. "Hinata? Is that your girlfriend? The one always in purple?"

"Yeah! Well she used to be my girlfriend." my shoulders slump "she hates me now."

A concerned look flits across her face as she answers, "yes, she comes in from time to time. She asked if we'd seen you when you first disappeared. She seemed very distraught but not angry. But I guess that was six years ago, things can change" she looks at me quickly, chagrined, "but I still don't think she hates you."

"She does and I don't blame her." Weary again, I ask for the second bowl to go, pay and say my goodbyes, promising I'll be back again soon.

Time to find a place to live.

The place is nice on the outside. A few big trees provide nice shade and there're flowers planted along the walkway in big planters. I walk in and knock on the door marked "landlord". A short, plump older woman with grey hair answers the for, smiling kindly. "Hello there, what can I do for you?"

"My old landlord said you might have an available apartment for me, ma'am. I've been away for quite some time and need a new place to live. Can you help me?" I put on my best lost puppy look and wait for her to answer.

"Hmm, yes I do have an empty apartment. Just let me go get the keys and I'll show you." After a minute or so she comes back, introduces herself as Aimi and leads me up a fight of stairs. We go so slowly I consider just carrying her but that seems rude so I trudge along. At last, we reach the door, which she unlocks, and we go inside.

It's a nice place. Bigger than my other apartment, with a full kitchen. There's a couch and two end tables in the living room and a small dining room set. Aimi tells me that it comes with the furniture and invited me to check out the bathroom and bedroom without her. From the bedroom window, I can see, distantly, a corner of the Hyuga compound.

"I'll take it" I pull out Gama and ask how much it is a month. She tells me and I pay a few months in advance then we go back to her apartment so I can fill out some paperwork and get my keys. After this is all taken care of, I start heading back to my old apartment to get the stuff I left behind. I'm glad I was never much of a packrat, I'd hate to have to keep making this trip over and over for the rest of the day.

With all four boxes and two bags in tow, I make my way across town again and run into Kiba and Akamaru.

"Naruto, here let me help you" he takes two of the boxes. "Where you headed?"

"Thanks, Kiba." I shift the remaining boxes so they're easier to hold "Just over between the academy and the Hyuga compound closer to the academy. I had to get a new apartment since Kakashi sensei didn't keep up paying for my old one for me."

He makes and understanding noise and laughs, Akamaru barks in agreement. "That's Kakashi for you." He gives me a sidelong glace before adding, "So living closer to Hinata now."

"I didn't- that's not why I picked this place! It was the only other place close in price to my old apartment."

"Cool it," he laughs "I'm just messing with you." A pause "She's pretty upset with you. You should've seen how hard she threw herself into training today. Almost knocked out Shino during a sparring match."

My heart sinks once again. "Yeah ... I deserve it. I wouldn't blame her if she never talked to me again."

"Naruto? Is that really you? I don't think I've ever heard you own up to doing someone wrong before." I can tell he's joking but it doesn't lift my mood. Before I can say anything though, he speaks again, "As mad as she is now, I don't think Hinata has it in her to hold a grudge for long, no matter what you did. And especially because it's you. You know she's loved you since she was like seven years old, for some reason. I don't get it."

Strangely, I feel a little better. It might not be for a long time, but maybe, just maybe, Hinata will forgive me.

"Thanks, Kiba," I say again, quietly.

He helps me take everything upstairs when we reach my place and I walk with him outside again.

"Bye Kiba, I'll see ya around." I give him a smile that almost feels real.

He gives me a half annoyed, half concerned look before saying, "You had to leave with no word for a mission right?" I nod "I think if you give her some time and then explain, she'll forgive you." Coming from Kiba, who is not someone to lie to make you feel better on top of being a close friend of Hinata's, I start to believe it, just a little. I nod again and give him a small, real smile. He and Akamaru leave and I go back upstairs to put my things away.

As I'm making my bed, I catch sight of the Hyuga compound again through the window and resolve settles over me. I _will_ make Hinata understand that I left because I had to and that I would have told her if I could have. I will do whatever it takes to win her trust back and then I will get to know her again, and maybe we can love each other again.


	3. Friday: A Night With Friends

A few weeks pass in much the same way; I work around the village and train during the day and sometimes go out with friends at night. I don't try to talk to Hinata again in all that time, letting her get used to the idea of me being in the village.

It's agonizing. I cross paths with her every few days around the village and I make myself shut up and smile politely to her when what I really want to do is throw myself at her feet and beg for forgiveness. At first she ignored me but the past few times I've seen her, she nodded her head toward me, not really looking at me but not ignoring me either. I call it progress. The first time it happened I thought it couldn't be directed at me but then elation filled me the next time she did it.

It's Friday tonight and Sakura is dragging me along to the barbeque restaurant where everyone meets up each week to catch up and have fun. I haven't gone yet because I wanted to give Hinata space, not wanting to deter her from going when she's been there for those Friday nights. I only agreed to go tonight because I heard it was Hanabi's birthday and I figured Hinata would be at home for that.

So I put on the tight fitting black jeans and orange long sleeve shirt Sakura threw at me earlier in the day when she showed up at my apartment and informed me I was going out tonight, not asked, informed. She's as stubborn as ever. I don't really feel like going out much, still sad about the Hinata situation, but I do miss my leaf friends. I only see them in passing lately since everyone is so busy with missions or jobs.

I meet everyone there at 7:30 and by 7:35 I'm thoroughly enjoying myself. Everyone feels the same but still so different. Choji still has to eat the last piece of every round of food but he's obviously got a lot more muscle definition and has grown several inches. Ino still talks a lot and rolls her eyes at Choji but she seems more mature and asks people about their lives rather than talk about only herself. Shikamaru is still pretty quiet and lazy but after some coaxing he tells me about his missions as a jonin and the new techniques he's working on and his plans to join Anbu Black ops. It seems he has some ambition after all. TenTen still laughs freely but there's a sadness in the way she talks about the past. I think she misses Neji most of all. Lee is as exuberant and ridiculous as ever. Shino is still quiet but he talks to people more now and definitely seems less creepy now. Kiba is as loud and rambunctious as before, throwing scraps to Akamaru out the open window, but he too has matured, not as quick to judge and as boastful. Sai is on a mission so he's not here.

It makes me wonder if I look or act any different than they remember. I think I do. I'm taller and leaner in appearance and definitely more quiet. My time trailing Sasuke has made me able to handle stillness and quiet better.

While we're all talking and laughing I learn that Shikamaru is dating Temari ('called it!' I think to myself). They take time off work every couple of weeks to spend with each other either here or in the sand village. Ino blushes when Choji asks if her and Sai are together this week or not which makes me think they have a very on-again off-again relationship. Did not see that one coming. He was always a little weird. Kiba tells me he's dated a lot of girls but none have stuck. And Choji, Shikamaru tells me, spends a lot of time with Karui from the Cloud village but nothing official.

"Naruto," Ino calls across the table, a little too loud after two cups of sake "so I know like everyone knows already what you were doing but can you give us some details.? You were gone six years! Was it exciting? What did you dooo?"

Everyone stares at me so I clear my throat and tell them a little about it. "It wasn't very exciting, that's for sure. I just had to silently trail Sasuke around until I knew what his plans for the future were. Kakashi was worried he might still want to do harm to the leaf so I had to watch him. He looked around for some clan that has a kekkei genkai close to the sharingan and, after he found them, I stuck around about a year to make sure he wasn't making any destructive plans. It was a ...hard mission. I couldn't talk to many people and I couldn't contact home. I slept on the ground or in trees a lot." I cough a little and take a sip of beer, "So no, it wasn't exciting and I didn't do much. I trained with different people when Sasuke stayed in one place for longer than a month but mostly I watched and waited."

They're still all staring so I fold my arms across my body, a little angry and mutter, "Sorry to disappoint everyone."

"I think we're all just in shock that _you_ managed a stealth mission for six years without getting caught," Kiba laughs loudly and the others join in.

"Naruto, that sounds like it was a drag but you did a good job," Shikamaru adds as Ino comments that she wouldn't mind watching over Sasuke for six years, _if you know what she means._ wink wink.

My mood improves greatly. The mission wasn't fun but they make the best of it for me. I missed them all.

"What are you gonna do now," Choji asks between mouthfuls.

I scratch my head thoughtfully, "I've just been helping out around the village and getting back into a normal routine again but Kakashi said he's going to have me work with him soon, to start learning how to run the village."

This brings on another round of staring, this time with open mouths. This time it doesn't make me angry though. I smile smugly.

"Wow! Hokage, Naruto, it's what you always wanted!" Ino exclaims. They all offer congratulations and I see that they're all actually proud of me. No one looks at me like I'm crazy for thinking I can be hokage and, more than that, they all look supportive.

"Yeah, I'm pretty excited. It's a dream come true."

"What is?" A small, high voice asks behind me. My heart clenches in a mix of sadness, longing, and elation.

"Hinata!" Kiba calls loudly, "I thought you were doing the family thing tonight for Hanabi's birthday."

She takes a seat next to Sakura, four seats away from me. "I was. We had a small party but then she went out with some friends so I decided to meet up with you guys." She smiles at the table of people and, for a painful second, I pretend it's for only me.

"So what's a dream come true?" she asks, shrugging off her coat. She has on a loose fitting white and lavender tank top and a low hanging necklace that draws a lot of attention to her ample chest. I have to pinch myself to make my head turn away. Why does she have to be so beautiful?

"Naruto's going to be training with Kakashi to be the next hokage," Shino sums up for her, "He's quite excited."

"That's great, Naruto. Congratulations." She doesn't sound mad at all, not overly enthusiastic like she might once have been but not mad either. I know it's just one sentence but it gives me a little hope and it crushes my painfully beating heart too, but that's besides the point.

"Thanks, Hinata."

The rest of the night I spend either surreptitiously staring at her or forcing myself not to stare at her by talking to everyone else. We don't talk again but she's not running away in a rage. That's got to be good right?

Soon it's past midnight, Ino and Kiba are close to being drunk when everyone stands up and starts heading home. "Same time next week?" Sakura asks everyone. There's a chorus of affirmations as I slip out the door next to her.

"That was fun, huh Naruto?" She asks smugly. I see Kiba and Ino walk a little unsteadily down a road I know leads to to Kiba's house, laughing and leaning on each other. I guess I know what Kiba meant by "dating a lot of women" now.

"Yeah yeah, sure," I smile down at her, nudging her shoulder with mine. "It was a really good time. Seriously, thanks. I've spent too much time alone past couple years." I decide to walk Sakura home so Hinata won't think I'm following her. It's just a few streets out of my way.

"Naruto, I can walk myself."

"I know. I'm just...giving Hinata space. I take that road" I nod my head toward the steet Hinata's walking down now, much farther ahead of us, "to get home. I don't want her to think I'm following her."

Sakura nods, "That's probably for the best. I guess I don't mind your company too much." she smiles to let me know she's joking.

A faint burst of laughter reaches us and I ask, "Ino and Kiba?"

"Yeah, they get together every once in a while. When her and Sai are on the rocks, which is every other day it feels like! Guess right now they're off."

"I guess so."

We chat amiably the rest of the way. I forgot how well we get along. Just as I'm about to turn toward my route home, Sakura stops me.

"I think there's hope for you two, you know."

"Hmm?" I turn back to her and ask doubtfully, "What, me and Hinata? I didn't think you were one for wishful thinking, Sakura."

She pulls a face before answering "I'm serious. When you weren't staring longingly at her, she was staring longing at you." I feel my heart pound harder "I told you that outfit was a good idea. Granted, she did look conflicted while staring but it's something. She still has feelings for you too, Naruto. There's just a layer of anger and distrust for her to get through first. All I'm saying is, it looks like you could have a chance. If you manage not to blow it."

I call out a dazed goodbye and walk home feeling lighter than I have in years. She was looking too! Oh sweet, good, beautiful Hinata, please give me another chance!

Quickly, I try to reign in my feelings, I don't want to get ahead of myself. This is barely a step in the right direction. It's more like I moved one foot so it's facing the direction I want to start going eventually. Still, I practically skip up the stairs of my apartment. I undress and slide into bed, grinning widely.

I turn toward my window and stare out at the moon, remembering happy nights with Hinata, before I left, for the first time since leaving. Usually looking at the moon makes me think of that awful night I left. I guess it helps that that time it was a small crescent moon and tonight it's fuller. A different moon for a different night.

Smiling, I drift off to sleep, feeling more hopeful than ever.


	4. Discussion: It All Comes Out Now

(A/n I'm going till say now what I say for all my multiple chapter fics- I write these stories because I have an idea in my head and I share it here because I think you guys will enjoy it. You wouldn't write to J.K Rowling and tell her to change something in her story so don't do it to me. If you have legit criticism about grammar, messing up someone's name, or if something is really confusing tell me. But if you think something should've been written differently or you want something to happen next please keep it to yourself. I am writing this a certain way for a reason. If something isn't clear yet, it probably will be soon. Be patient. Also, I don't think au plots have to make perfect sense. They're au FANfiction meaning it's not professional. There's gonna be some inconsistencies. Get over it. I appreciate those of you who take a lot of time to write me a review or pm but I am not going to rewrite my story for you. Thank you for reading this and the story in general. I don't mean to offend anyone, I just write these stories as a way to unwind after college and work so I don't appreciate people telling I didn't write it right or "this is how I would've done it" it's my story so please just let me write it how I want. Also this is not going to be multiple points of views, I'm working on my male "voice". I have a short story told from Hinata's pov if you really want to look. There's no reason it was six years other than that seemed like a really long time and then they'd be my age and easier for me to write)

it's been a long day of training for me today. Now I'm walking slowly through the village, waving hi to people and stopping to talk every now and then. It's really starting to warm up in the village so the cooler evening air feels good after working out. It's nice to walk through the village and still have people look at me like a hero. I was worried they'd have reverted back to how they were when I was a kid while I was gone. But people speak kindly to me and offer me snacks and ask about my day. Things they never did for six year old Naruto.

As I'm passing through the market, I see Hinata through the crowd. She has on her old purple jacket and her hair is loose, shining in the evening sun. She's just finished paying for something and struggles to pick up her four paper bags.

I look around to see if anyone is with her as I'm walking over and, when it's apparent she's alone, I rush up to help. "Hey Hinata, let me help with that."

She looks up, surprised "oh, Naruto" she tucks a piece of hair behind her ear and nods "okay, thank you." I take up two bags and follow her down the street. She clears her throat quietly, "the weather was pretty nice today. Good for training."

"Yeah" I grin widely, she's talking to me! "That's what I did most of the day. What about you?"

She nods, "I trained as well, with Kiba."

"He's a good guy. I wouldn't mind training with him, he's strong."

"He is. He's a good friend too. He's always there to talk" and then she adds quietly, almost too quiet to hear "even when you don't want him to." I think she meant for me not to hear it so I pretend I didn't.

"I talked to him not too long ago. He gave me some good advice and made me feel better on a pretty bad day." I wonder if he talked to Hinata about me. Kinda seems like it. "Been having a lot of those lately" It feels so much like six years, such an easy flow off conversation that those words just tumbled out, like they would have in any of our other talks.

She makes a move that almost seems like she's going to reach out to touch my arm but changes her mind. "I'm sorry. I know what that's like."

Her words bring on a pang of guilt that reminds me it's not six years ago. A lot has changed in that time.

We walk the short rest of the way in silence as I struggle deciding if I should ask to speak to her now. I'm surprised when we walk past the main house.

"You don't live in the main house anymore?"

Shaking her head, she answers "no, not for almost six years now." We stop two houses down from the main house and she smirks, "not that I went that far, but it's been a very positive change in my life." I wonder if she moved out because of me, because of painful memories associated with that house.

She unlocks the door and nods for me to go in "the kitchen's just to the right there."

I set the bags down on the table and hover awkwardly by the door. She looks at me like she's waiting for me to say something but she's not sure if she wants to hear it out not.

"Can I...um can I talk to you for a little bit?" I ask shakily.

"We've been talking," she hedges, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear again. I almost forgot that's her nervous habit. It brings me a small bit of comfort, knowing that still remember those things about her.

"Nata..." she swallows hard and she nods so I press on. "I want to explain things better. I want you too understand. I'm not asking for your forgiveness, just for you to listen."

She nods again and I take a deep breath. "I only knew three days in advance that I'd be leaving for that mission. Kakashi had ninja out in the surrounding towns and they were to report to him the second they saw Sasuke. After that we had to wait until he was ready to leave before we could make our move. If Sasuke knew someone was trailing him this close to the leaf, he'd never act normally. You know he still wants nothing to do with us because of Itachi. So they let me know how long he had paid for a room at a hotel and on the last night I was to slip into the shadows and follow him. Kakashi didn't want word to get out at all that we were planning this so I couldn't even tell you before I left. He thought if anyone knew, it would get out to Sasuke who would then be impossible to find.

But it worked out in our favor. After that it was a lot of following him from town to town. I had to be as quiet and discreet as possible so Kakashi insisted on no communication with the village. I could only send him one messenger toad every few months and that was when I was sure Sasuke was preoccupied.

It took him five years to find that clan he was looking for. They have a kekkei genkai similar to the sharingan. But they kept themselves very well hidden after they heard what happened to the Uchiha clan. So after he found them, I stayed on about another year just to be sure he wasn't planning on attacking the village or anything. I couldn't even send toads to Kakashi at this point because of all those enhanced eyes everywhere."

I clear my throat, struggling with the emotional stuff I want to say, "I thought about you all the time. I felt awful the whole time I was gone...I still feel awful. An-and I want you too know I regret what, well wait no I don't regret what we did, but I regret the timing of the thing. I didn't mean to go that far that night." Both of our cheeks are red by this point, I push on, "it's just that I loved you so much and you wanted to. It's so hard to deny you anything. Aahh, not that I'm blaming you! This isn't coming out how I wanted! I'm just trying to say I'm sorry that it happened on such a bad night. I'm sorry I left and I'm sorry I couldn't tell you. I'm scum and I hope you haven't suffered to much because of me."

To my dismay, I see tears in her eyes again. I'm about to apologize again and leave when she says in a small voice, "couldn't you have written me a small note along with the ones you sent to Kakashi?"

Damn.

Why didn't I think of that?!

"Hinata, I...I'm so sorry, that never even crossed my mind. I was so set on keeping things a secret. I should have written you! There's no excuse. I'm worse than scum." My shoulders slump and I drop my gaze to the floor, feeling like the worst person in the history of ever.

"There is no excuse, you're right. You should have known I'd be worried and upset. You should have done whatever you could." The anger is building in her voice again and I flinch. She draws in a ragged breath, tears falling down her flushed cheeks now "I was so worried, Naruto. I was confused and mad and so sad. Lord Kakashi told me next to nothing about what happened to you. You should feel ashamed. You should feel guilt. You-" shaking, she blows out the rest of her breath, her anger leaving as quickly as it came and continues in a small, defeated voice "were following orders. Kakashi has always been able to overlook others' feelings when Sasuke is involved. I...I don't blame you for that much at least."

I look at her hopefully. "But you still have much blame on your shoulders that I'm not ready to forgive." She folds her arms tightly against her ribs like she's afraid of falling apart "you hurt me, Naruto. There's just no getting around that for me yet."

"I understand" I whisper. It's really much more than I deserve.

"We can still be around each with our friends. I don't want to be the reason you're not seeing everyone on Friday nights. But I'm not ready to let you any closer than that." She hesitates, looking uncertain for a moment before saying "thank you for explaining things to me though, that helps a lot." Her voice sounds final so I take that as my cue to leave.

As I reach the front door, I remember one other thing. Rummaging in my kunai pouch, I pull out a small purple opal stone carved like a lion. "I got this for you while I was gone. It reminded me of you." My voice gets more gruff as I continue, the little stone blurs as I look at it longer "it's like the lion fist technique you used against Pein and it's purple like your eyes and it's beautiful. And well...I just wanted you to have it. It's been keeping me company for five years."

I set it on a small table near the door and leave quickly before I start crying.

How can something go so much better and worse than you expected it to?


	5. YakinikuQ: old friends and helping hands

Over the next couple weeks, I kept going from extremely hopeful to convinced I'd lost her forever and that we couldn't even be friends ate all this. No one wanted to be around me in those days, not even Sakura, who I was getting much closer again.

Whenever I was having a day like that, I just went to see what missions I could go on for Kakashi. Apparently I'm in pretty high demand. Kakashi has tons of jobs that ask for "the hero of the leaf". I won't lie, that always raises my spirits. I wish I could go back and tell academy aged Naruto that things do get better. That the village and surrounding villages recognize you and accept you and think highly of you.

Kakashi never makes me take a job though. I think he's trying to make up for those six years in some small way. Twice a week I sit in with him all day, learning how to be the hokage. He explains how things work and sends me home with books detailing village procedures and stuff like that. It's all kinda boring but I guess being hokage can't be all fighting off enemies and waking around the village. I can't take the files home for security reasons, but he's also familiarizing me with the village's shinobi and explaining how best to put together a squad for missions. That I like but I can't help but think Shikamaru world be better at it. It's like a puzzle kind of. Maybe when I take over I'll ask him to be my assistant or something. I'll have to come up with a better way to pitch it than assistant though. Eehh I've got time.

When I'm not doing those things, I spar with whoever is in the village or just train by myself. Gotta keep sharp. Fridays I go to the barbeque restaurant. I try to stay as busy as I can so I don't agonize over Hinata.

I get in bed each night and lay awake thinking about her for hours. Is she thinking over my apology? Can she forgive me? Will we ever be friends again? Will we ever be more than friends again? Sometimes I stare at that small corner of the Hyuga compound and wonder what she did that day. It's torture. I end up getting mad at myself or getting so sad I cry.

Last night I decided I was going to talk to her more on those Friday night meals. I just can't stand doing nothing. Maybe showing her I'm willing to be friendly will help her move toward trusting me again.

Not that we don't talk now, we do. But it's never one on one. I just want to be closer to her again.

So today I woke up early, went on a run through the village and tried to notice anything new that I could bring up that night. Safe topics like the academy expansion and how nice it is to see Temari again and train with her. She's in town visiting Shikamaru this week and her fan makes for a compelling match.

When I get home, I shower, take a nap, and then look at the clock. It's still way too early so I study some of the hokage books while I'm waiting. When it's finally late enough, I slip into those black jeans Sakura got me and a white v neck t shirt. Then I stand in front of the mirror for a while and mess with my bedraggled hair. Ugh I never used to care what I looked like. Funny how much someone can change your routine. I give up on the wild spikes and just slip on a grey knitted hat.

The place is more crowded than ever since Sai is back and Temari is here probably. Not only that but three a lot of people here that look like they're just passing through the village. I don't see anyone I know right away though.

"Hey Naruto!" Sakura waves me over and I slip into the seat next to her.

"Hey guys, pretty happening place tonight huh?" Ino nods and laughs. She's sitting practically in Sai's lap so I take it they're on again. It's funny how differently everyone dresses from what I normally see them in, which is training clothes. Like Ino prefers to wear jeans and low cut tops and Shikamaru wears a lot of sweaters and corduroy pants. Temari is a sight, not unwelcome, in a tight black dress with a plunging neckline. Choji more or less dresses the same, just swap out the armored shirt for a red sweater and no kunai pouch. Everyone has a different style that they didn't used to show off before. Maybe now that everyone is around jonin level, they don't mind taking a night off from being a ninja.

That's how I feel anyway. And it doesn't hurt that Sakura nudges me every time she catches Hinata looking over at me. Anything to catch her attention positively right?

The barbecue restaurant is so crowded that even the seldom used bar is full. We can't get the waitress over for a drinks refill so I offer to go up and get them for everyone.

I give the guy our order and wait, absently drumming my fingers on the bar in front of me.

"Excuse you" the red haired girl next to me says loudly, "can you not?" She turns to face me and I receive a shock. I know her!

"Haruko?!"

"Naruto! Well damn! Long time no see." She pulls me into a hug.

I met Haruko on one of the rare three month stints in one place while following Sasuke. She didn't like me at first but after I showed her how to do the sexy jutsu (long story!) She warmed up to me and we became friends. I even helped her family rebuild a few houses around their village after a vicious sand storm went through. They let me stay there which was one of the few times I actually got to sleep on a bed while I was gone. That was nice.

"What are you doing here?" I ask as the bar tender starts loading drinks on a tray for me.

"Just on our way to a botanical conference in the land hidden in the frost." She told her eyes. "I know, botany in the frost? But it's like about plants that only grow in harsh conditions like our sand village." She flips her curly hair over shoulder dramatically. Everything she does is dramatic. "So we're staying here for a couple days to load up on food and water. I didn't know you were back from your super secret ninja mission or I would've looked you up bro."

"You're fine. Hang on a second, let me give these to my friends. I'll be back" I hand off the tray, taking my beer and telling Sakura I'd be back soon. I squeeze into a space at the bar.

Haruko turns toward my group of friends and leans closer to me, throwing an arm around my shoulder "so which one is your girl? Hinata right?"

I blush and stammer "well she's not my girl anymore...but yeah Hinata is the dark haired girl in the pink t shirt."

"The one giving me a look filthier than the sand village in the middle of summer after a storm?" She raises an eyebrow and pulls her arm away from me.

"She is not?" I sneak a glance over and see that she is looking at Haruko with a certain amount of anger "we're not even together..."

"Boy, just cuz you ain't hers doesn't mean she wants you to be anyone else's." She laughs and nudges my shoulder.

"You think she's..jealous? No way." I pull farther away from her though.

"If she's not bothered, then why is she still staring and downing her drink like it's water?"

I glanced over at the table in time to see her grab Kiba's drink and take a long swig while Kiba stares, too shocked to do anything. "Maybe I should head back over there..."

"Awe Naruto, no come on. Here, I'll behave," she slides her hands around her drink and leans away from me. "When are we gonna see each other again. Just hang out for minute."

I decide to stay for a while, she is right, we probably won't see each other again for a while and she is a good friend. We talk about what we've been up and she tells me a lot of funny stories about her family.

Before I know it, it's after midnight. I look back at my friends and see a few of them left. There's a lot of empty glasses in front of Hinata. Maybe there's some truth to Haruko's jealousy idea. That wasn't my intention though, I should go say something to her. I say goodbye to Haruko and she gives me another hug. The doors slam behind me and i pull away quickly. The table is now down one dark haired beauty.

Damn.

Okay, we can fix this. Let's go.

I hurry out after her, looking around. She's a few streets down, going quickly but veering from one side of the road to the other. I jog up next to her.

"Hey, Nata, need some help?" I offer out an arm.

She snorts loudly and slurs, "no, I don't need yooouuur help." She goes to take another step and almost falls down. I catch her and sit her down on a nearby bench. "You're always around. You don't need to help me. I can- I'm a, I am a grown up, Naruto. You can go back to your _little red head._ " she spits the last three words out as viciously as a drunk person can before hanging her head in her hands.

I groan "She's not...Hinata, are you okay?"

She slumps forward suddenly and I almost don't catch her before she pitches off the bench.

"Hinata?" I shake her shoulder. She mumbles incoherently but doesn't open her eyes again. Asleep. I pick her up carefully and walk to her apartment. Awkwardly, I pull her key out and unlock her door. I take her inside and stumble around in the dark for a while until I find her bedroom. I set her on the bed and take off her shoes, laying them next to her dresser.

Next I make my way to her kitchen and fill a huge glass with water. And after tracking down some pain pills, i go back by Hinata. I manage to rouse her long enough for her to drink the water and take the pills. She's out again soon after.

Kicking off my shoes, I sigh and sit down of the floor next to her bed. It doesn't feel right to leave her alone after she drank that much. Leaning my head against the wall, I close my eyes and get ready for a long night.

"Naruto?" She whispers uncertainly, looking around with a confused expression. I shift my head so I'm looking at her. "You brought me home?" I nod. "And you're going to sit on my floor all night?" I nod again. "Whafor"

"I didn't think you should be alone. I wanted to watch out for you, in case you need something."

"What about your ...friend? Back at the bar? Seemed pretty cozy tahme" her words are slurring more, from exhaustion now.

I sigh wearily "she's just my friend, Nata. I helped out her family while I was away. They're passing through town and she wanted to catch up. I'm not interested in her."

"Oh" she's silent for a long time. I'm about to close my eyes again, thinking she fell asleep when she says quietly, "you can sleep on the bed, if yawanto."

"Okay" I say, slowly getting up and walking around the bed. My heart pounds at the thought of being that close to her. I'd never make a move on her or anything like that, just the thought of being close enough to smell her hair, see the few freckles she gets on her shoulders after she's been in the sun too long, being close enough to touch her.

But I don't.

I lay as far to the side as I can, giving her as much space as she needs. "Thanks" I whisper.

Her answer is to flip on her side, facing away from me. I smile at her anyway.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"Thankyou"

Another smile, "always happy to help you, Nata."

A minute passes in silence. "This doesn't mean I forgiveyouyet" she mumbles, half asleep already

"I know"

I stay awake for a while just looking at her. It's a half moon tonight so there's enough light to see her pale skin. Her hair looks as dark as shadows. She's so beautiful it hurts to look at her after a while. I close my eyes and fall asleep, her lavender scent filling my head with pleasant dreams.


	6. Feelings: A New Morning

(A/n I made Hinata get jealous drunk because that's 100% something I would/have do/done and I identify strongly with her. we're very similar. also I had her say it was okay for him to sleep on her bed because she still loves and doesn't want him to be uncomfortable. while they are things that shippuden Hinata probably wouldn't do, I think 22 year old Hinata would. just bare with me, I'm having fun with this fanfic. this one's a little shorter but i think you guys will still like it. enjoy)

"What the-" I mumble as I'm jarred out of unconsciousness. The thing that woke me is Hinata's arm. She's laying on her back with an arm thrown up beside her. And what was beside her before the arm? My face. I gently move it off of me and slide off of the bed.

The clock on the table next to Hinata blinks 10:47. It's the latest I've slept in for ages. I stretch and yawn, glancing around the room, taking it all in. Everything is a soft pastel, unlike her old room which was mostly white, and everything is very tidy and well cared for, but you can tell someone lives there and uses the things. It's not like a page in a magazine or anything. There's two big windows that I pull the shades down over, so it doesn't hurt her head when she wakes up. The bed is a queen size with a very soft purple and blue comforter, currently rumpled up underneath Hinata's splayed leg. Two rough oak nightstands stand on either side of the bed. There's a long dresser and a big rocking chair on the opposite wall of the bed and six floor to ceiling bookshelves against a third wall that contain books and knickknacks.

I walk over and scan them closer. The small lion I gave her sits at eye level on the shelf closest to her bed. This makes me smile. As I continue scanning, I see pictures of team 8 at many different ages, there's some family photos, and towards the bottom, half tucked behind a jewelry box, a stack of photos of her and I before I left. They aren't in frames but they're all still there. With lots of bent edges and a few smudges so I know she looked at them a lot. I simultaneously want to smile and cry.

Before I can do either, I put them back down, back away, and grab the empty glass from her bedside table. I refill it in the kitchen and grab a few more pain pills and set them all back down on her table, being as quiet as I can. Then I close her bedroom door behind me as I leave. I route around the kitchen for something I know how to make and pans to make it in. Once I locate it all, I set about making scrambled eggs and toast. I'm so afraid I'll burn it, since I haven't made breakfast that didn't come in a cup for quite some time, that I don't notice right away that Hinata is standing in the doorway, looking at me.

I glance up as I'm putting eggs onto two plates, "Oh, Hinata! I hope you don't mind but I made breakfast." I smile and hold a plate out for her. She has the water glass I left for her in one hand, mostly empty, and takes the food with the other. Gracefully, she slides into a chair at the kitchen table, folding one leg up in front of her. She had pulled her hair up into a messy bun and switched out last night's jeans for some faded sweatpants that look kind of familiar.

"Thank you," she murmurs around a bite of toast as I sit down opposite her.

Clearing my throat, feeling a little awkward, I ask, "How are you feeling?"

She raises an eyebrow at me and gives a small, half smile. "My head is killing me but my stomach is alright... Thanks to you" she adds, nodding to the water glass. "That really helped." She drops her head to stare into her lap, red coloring her cheeks. "I'm sorry, that was...that was dumb of me, to drink so much. You must think-"

"I don't think anything" I say because I know it'll make her smile and relieve her embarrassment.

She does smile, looking up at me again. There's no trace of anger or sadness in this look, like so many of her others, and it takes my breath away. I'm the one to drop my gaze this time and I regret it immediately so I look back up, giving her a tentative smile.

"I'm glad you stayed," she says very quietly. Those four words break my heart. I wish for the hundred thousandth time that I had stayed that fateful night six years ago.

I gulp hugely to dislodge the swell of emotion there, "I'll always do whatever I can to be there for you, Hina. I'm just...I'm sorry I didn't think to do more." I hope she knows I'm not talking about just last night.

Reaching out, she touches my hand lightly, "I know you did what you had to." She pulls her hand away again and I want to reach out so badly and grasp it tightly and never let go again. But I don't. Slowly Naruto, I tell myself. Instead, I sigh and eat my breakfast slowly, savoring the togetherness I feel right now. Maybe it's just because she's too hungover to be mad, but it feels a lot like it did before I left, when things were as easy as breathing between us. Maybe I little different, of course, since I can't lean over and kiss her or touch her if I want to, but emotionally, it feels similar. I don't want it to end.

It seems she doesn't either since she's eating just as slowly as I am, peeking up at me through her lashes every once in awhile.

Eventually I ask, since I've been thinking about it since Haruko brought it up, "did you...did you drink that much because of me talking to Haruko?"

She looks up at me startled, color flooding her cheeks again, "umm..." she clears her throat "I um, yes I did. I wasn't ... I didn't like it. You talking to her, I mean." She won't meet my gaze again, staring determinedly at her almost empty plate.

I grin, just a little, as I answer, "Nata, she's my friend. I helped her and her family out while I was on the road."

"Yes, I remember you saying that last night...still" the red still hasn't left her cheeks. It's the cutest thing. "How-what did you do for them?"

"They live in the sand and a huge storm destroyed a bunch of their houses. I helped rebuild them. I mean, I'm no Yamato, but my shadow clones helped move things along. They were very grateful. Haruko is passing through for a plant convention thing and we were just happy to see each other. That was all."

She sniffs airily, "it didn't look like that was all."

"She's just affectionate. Too affectionate. Makes me uncomfortable." Her expression relaxes and the color leaves her face.

It looks like Hinata is struggling with what to say next so I wait patiently, wondering.

"So, the whole time ... you were gone, you didn't- I mean there wasn't anyone-um..." She trails off, her cheeks reddening again, "that you..."

Comprehension finally dawns on me and I'm floored. She's worried about that?! Doesn't she know me at all? "No, Nata. There wasn't anyone. How could there be?"

She nods, still staring down at her plate as if it's the most interesting thing in the world, "because you weren't in one place long enough, you didn't have any opportunity to-"

I lean forward, putting a finger under her chin and gently push until she looks at me, "there wasn't anyone because of you, Nata. You have to know that?" I pull my hand away as her eyes fill with tears, not wanting to push her too far.

"It was six years though, I j-just thought ... that's a l-long time." she bites her lip.

I just shake my head, astounded that _that's_ been bothering her. "Nothing like that would ever happen with me. The whole time I was away, and even now, I never stopped lov-"

She stands up abruptly, cutting me off. "I think you should go," she says in a much higher voice than before. "I-I'm going to take a nap. Thank you for looking after me and for breakfast, that was very kind. You know where the door is, good bye." The last few lines she says very fast before bolting down the hallway back to her bedroom. Now I know why the sweatpants were so familiar; they used to be mine. There's a little Uzumaki patch I sewed onto the back pocket. I gave them to her after a growth spurt.

I stand up, feeling dazed and heartbroken, put our empty dishes in the sink and let myself out of her house, locking the door behind me. She still has so many of the things I gave her or things to remind her of our time together. I don't know what to make of it combined with her behavior. Does she keep them because she just hasn't gotten around to tossing them out yet? Or does she keep them because they're still important to her? Does she still have feelings for me? Ugh, it's all so confusing. It seemed like things were going great for a little while there.

Now my head hurts.

Maybe I'll go talk to Sakura. See what she can make of this.


	7. Sakura's Insight and a Grand Gesture

(A/n apologies for the large delay, I couldn't log in to my account for weeks. Luckily it's fixed now.)

As I'm walking through the village to Sakura's, I attempt to straighten myself out so it doesn't look like I spent the night somewhere that wasn't my apartment; fixing my hair into its usual disarray and flattening the ceases out of my clothes. It doesn't really help much though. Anyone who sw me last night will notice I'm wearing the same clothes. I contemplate going home to change but I'm closer to Sakura's than my own home by now and I'm going to tell her I slept over at Hinata's anyway so why bother.

Sakura answers after my third knock, her smile turning into judgmental confusion as she takes in yesterday's clothes. "What happened to you?" She questions, stepping back and inviting me in with a jerk of her head. "Have you been out all night?" The door clicks shut behind me as I sink into the couch.

"No. I, uh, I stayed over at Hinata's actually..." I mumble sheepishly.

"Naruto, you didn't!?"

She looks like she's going to start yelling at me so I interject quickly, "nothing happened. She was drunk last night, I walked her home, and I was going to sleep on the floor in case she got sick or needed something in the night. I need your advice. I can't think like a girl, I need help."

She purses her lips before asking, "you _were_ going to sleep on the floor? What changed?"

I tell her about what Hinata and I talked about before bed and how she invited me to sleep next to her. "Again, nothing happened. I just slept. So okay, I think I understand everything that happened then but then this morning happened and I know nothing." Sakura laughs, nodding, so I make a face at her.

"Come on then, tell me about this morning Mr. Knows Nothing."

I ignore the name and continue, "I woke up, got her some more water and stuff, then just looked around her room a little. She still has all of our old pictures, just not in frames anymore. And they look like she flips through them a lot. And she put my gift where she sees it every day and she still wears my old pajamas pants. There's all this stuff around like she still thinks about me which I thought would be a good thing...but then, okay, here's what happened." I tell her pretty much everything Hinata and I said, keeping the mushiest stuff out. I mean, I am a dude. It's one thing to say that stuff to the girl you love but your best friend doesn't need every detail.

"So I tried to tell her that I've never stopped loving her but she gets up real fast, interrupting me and telling me to leave. What the hell? One minute we're smiling and she's practically holding my hand then she's running away like I set her chair on fire..." my shoulders slump "what did I do wrong? I was just trying to tell her the truth."

"Oh Naruto," her voice is soft but slightly exasperated. "Put yourself in her shoes. The person you've had feelings for forever finally reciprocates them and you two have a real relationship. Then that person leaves for six years without a word, hurts you beyond belief, then shows up and says they still love you? Naruto, she's trying to keep herself from being hurt again.

By some miracle, you managed to be charming and actually say the right thing for once. It sounds like she wants to forgive you and still keep you at arms length at the same time. You said too much, too fast. That's your style though, so she shouldn't have been surprised by it. I think she's just worried you'll hurt her again and there's nothing you can say to convince her you won't. You just have to keep being there." She smirks at me, "maybe don't be there for her in her bedroom for a while, huh?"

This makes me laugh "do you mean literally in her bedroom or more in the figurative sense?"

"Both!" She giggles with me.

"No worries there, I don't think I'll be invited back into her bedroom for any reason for a good long while. Maybe never." The grin slides off my face. "I wish I knew what to say to make her believe I'd never hurt her like that again. I'd tell her I'd never hurt her in _any_ way if it'd make her forgive me but I know I'm a knucklehead sometimes so that's an empty promise."

Sakura cocks her head to the side, giving me an appraising look. "Those years alone changed you. You're much more... serious now, I guess. More mature."

"I can break out the sexy jutsu again if you miss the old me." I grin at her and bring my hands together to form the hand sign.

"NO!" She laughs. "You're still Naruto, just less knuckleheaded. That's not bad. It'll probably help you with Hinata. I think the only way to prove to her you're not going anywhere, is to not go anywhere. Ask if you can walk her home when you see her, talk to her on Friday nights, hang around Kiba or Shino more often so you'll be around her. Just keep inserting yourself into her life in small ways. She'll come around. I know she still loves you too."

"Yeah?" I ask hopefully.

"Definitely. She wouldn't be wearing your old clothes or drinking herself into a jealous rage if she didn't."

The rest of the afternoon, I hang around Sakura's, asking her an odd question here or there when I think of them. Like what Hinata meant when she said this or that, things to talk to her about that won't make her run, screaming away from me. By the time I leave, I'm feeling much more optimistic and like I'm finally starting to understand fully where Hinata's head is. What she's thinking and feeling.

Once home, I pull out my own photos of Hinata and I, looking for my favorite. We're at the Konoha Founding Festival that celebrates the day the first hokage came into power. It's a close up of our faces, bent close together. Hinata's eyes are shut and her nose is scrunched up, mouth spread in a wide smile as she laughs at me; face covered in frosting from a cake we had been sharing. The moment springs forward in my mind when I find it. I had pulled out her camera and we were going to take a nice picture when, out of nowhere, Hinata shoves the rest of the cake in my face a second before the timer goes off. My face is bewildered, hers is beautifully joyous.

I touch her face gently, smiling bittersweetly.

I need to make her believe I won't leave her like that again. But what can I do?

An idea comes to me suddenly and I'm up and out of the house before I can think it through properly. I just know I have to do something. I run through the streets, dodging people heading home from work, not stopping until I'm outside the double doors of Kakashi's office. I knock once before striding in, picture still in hand.

"Kakashi"

He looks up at me slowly "hello Naruto, are here for a job?"

I lean across his desk urgently, "no I need you to do something for me. I need you to come with me to Hinata's and tell her you swear you'll never send me out on a long, no contact mission ever again. Also I need you to be okay with me not going in long, no contact missions from now on" I feel a little crazy in this moment. Like my whole future rests on his answer. Like if he says no, I'll never be happy again

I see his eyebrow raise. He glances at the photo in my hand then back up at me. He blinks slowly, considering my request. "Hmm... no more long, no contact missions, huh? Yes I suppose that is something I could guarantee. You are, after all, training to be hokage and we aren't away from our villages all that often." He rubs his chin through the mask "I don't much like that we have to go to miss Hyuga but I suppose it's more dramatic this way. Okay Naruto, I'll go with you to tell her."

"Seriously? Oh sensei, thank you. This is so great. Okay let's go." I race out of his office, taking the stairs three at a time. I'm almost to the street outside Kakashi's office before I notice he's dragging behind. "Kakashi sensei, come ooon."

"I'm doing you a favor Naruto, be grateful I'm going at all."

I grumble a little but slow my pace, trying to be patient. This will fix things a little more between us, I just know it.

Eventually we get there and I knock quickly on her door, forcing myself to stop at four knocks. I want to bang on it until she comes out but that doesn't seem very cool.

The door opens and there she is, looking surprised and confused. "Hello Lord hokage. Naruto." Her cheeks turn slightly pink as she glances at me. She tucks a piece of hair behind her ear as she looks back at Kakashi "is there something I can do for you?"

"No Hinata, Naruto has asked me to come here and tell you my decision on his missions from now on. I've decided that since Naruto is to be the next hokage, he will not be going on any long term missions anymore. He'll also need to be in constant contact with the village if ever he does leave. So he'll never be on another mission like that of the last six years."

Her eyes are wide as she shifts her gaze from Kakashi to me. "He won't be leaving the village that much?"

"Hardly at all." Kakashi's gaze flickers between Hinata and I. "Hinata, I'd like to apologize to you. It wasn't kind to leave you in the dark about Naruto all those years. I hope you understand I was doing what I had to do to protect the village. I was very adamant with Naruto that he not talk to anyone so don't blame him. I take full responsibility. And with that, I'll leave you two so I can get back to my job. See you tomorrow Naruto. Hinata" he bows his head then walks off, disappearing a few houses down.

I swing my gaze back to Hinata. She tilts her head, gazing at me with a peculiar expression.

"You made Lord Kakashi come all the way out to my house to tell me you won't be going on missions outside the village anymore?"

I nod, swallowing hard, my heart pounding. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be here for you now."

Her mouth twitches like she's trying to decide what to say next. I wait anxiously. "Did you... ask him not to send you away on missions?"

I scratch the back of my head absently "I guess I more kind of told him I wasn't going on anymore... but I did ask if it was okay with him."

"And you did this... to show me you're not going anywhere? You did it for me?" She's still giving me the same peculiar expression, partially confused and something I can't identify.

I nod again. "I knew nothing I said would convince you."

"Okay"

I wait for more.

Nothing.

"Okay?"

She nods "okay, I believe you. You're not going anywhere." The confusion has left her face and now I identify the other expression was a hopeful one. She smiles tentatively at me. My answering grin spreads across my face, reaching my eyes.

"I mean... I'm still not-" her eyes fall on the picture in my hand and she changes sentences. "Why are you carrying that?"

I look down at it "I was looking for it when I had the idea to talk to Kakashi. I guess I just forgot I was still holding it when I raced across town."

"Why that one?"

"It's my favorite." I hold it out to her. I see her hands trembling as she takes it from me. She smiles softly at it.

"Why? You have cake all over your face."

"I like your face in it, you're so happy. And the memory is a good one. I always love it when you surprise me." I gaze down at her lovingly. She glances up as she hands the picture back to me, eyes locking with mine. She seems to deliberate for a moment then she tugs on my arm till I lean down. Swiftly, she kisses my cheek. Just one small kiss. Then she backs away, fumbling to find the doorknob behind her, looking like she c can't believe she did that but not looking displeased about it.

"You can- can meet me tomorrow to walk me to work if you want." She says breathlessly. "9:30."

"Okay, I'll be here." I smile broadly, hardly believing my luck. She smiles back, not as hugely but it's not a hesitant smile so I'll take it. She goes back inside and I walk home. I manage to make it about halfway before letting out a whopping "YES", pumping my fist in the air. I clutch the picture close to my chest and smile the whole way back, the whole rest of the day, and as I'm closing my eyes to go to sleep.


	8. A Morning Walk: Forward Steps Part1

(A/n this is gonna be super short but I wanted to let you guys know I'm still writing. I've just been totally overwhelmed with school and work this past week. Expect a long one Friday or Monday. And as always, thanks for reading)

It's 6:21 a.m.

I know this because I'm laying in bed, staring at my clock as every agonizingly slow minute drags by. I've been up for almost half an hour but I figured if I got out of bed I'd rush to get ready and end up waiting outside Hinata's house for two hours. And that's a little creepy. So we're not going to do that.

Rolling away from the clock, I close my eyes and try to go back to sleep. After an unsuccessful ten minute stretch, I give in and sit up. I walk down the hall to my bathroom, forcing myself to drag my feet.

To take up as much time as possible, I shave and trim my hair, keeping it short. The short style has grown on me. I clean up then jump in the shower. The warm water helps me calm down and stop thinking about what time it is for a little while. I even take time and make something more than cup ramen for breakfast.

7:45

Uuuugggh.

Somehow I make it to 9:05 and decide it's early enough to start walking over to Hinata's. My heart is racing with anticipation. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm only walking her to work. It's not a _date_ date or anything. I get there with a few minutes to spare and knock eagerly. The door swings open a moment later and I breathe easily again. Just seeing Hinata makes me relaxed.

She's dressed in the white uniform of the nurses at the konoha hospital, her hair in a neat ponytail and a small smile on her face.

"Good morning, Naruto," she opens the door wider and gestures me inside, "I'm not quite ready yet, it'll just be a minute.

I nod, watching her dance around putting keys and food into a bag. "You work at the hospital?"

"Mhm, a few shifts a week, when I'm not out on missions. I feel useful there, like I'm really helping people even if I am just a low level nurse." I smile at that. Hinata is so humble.

"I bet you're great at it. You've always been very caring and I bet your byakugan helps a lot. Seems like a good job for you." She sits at a kitchen chair to put her Shoes on, ducking her face to hide a blush.

She stands, grabs her bag, and turns to me. "All ready" she locks the door behind us and we walk a little slowly towards town.

"What are your plans for the day, Naruto?"

"I'm gonna work with Kakashi, there's a lot to learn about running the village." I pull a face at her and she laughs.

"It can't all be talking to the little ones and fighting to protect the village" she smiles at me "you must be so proud of yourself. You're the hero of the leaf, everyone acknowledges you and likes you, and you're set to be hokage. It's everything you always wanted."

"Almost everything," I pause, looking over at her and giving her soft smile. A small patch of pink spreads across her cheeks. "It's all very unbelievable sometimes. I often find myself wishing I could go back in time and tell 6 year old me that it really does get better." I chuckle.

Hinata adjusts her ponytail as we talk and I'm distracted by it. I miss her hair. Or more specifically, I miss running my fingers through her hair. It was always so silky and soft. I miss being that close to her, physically and emotionally. Suddenly I'm overwhelmed by how much I've been missing her, even though she's right next to me. I want it to be like it was before I left. I want to know everything about her again. I want to be close to her.

She glances over at me, an eyebrow raised "Naruto?"

I shake myself out of my thoughts, concentrating on her in the now, not from the past. "Just thinking. What did you do while I was gone? Like what missions did you go on and stuff?"

She looks a little taken aback like that's not what she thought I'd say or something but she shrugs and answers, "mostly escort missions but a few more dangerous ones with Shino and Kiba. I Proctered one of the chunin exams. And I've- I've been training under my father."

"he finally realized you're just as capable as Neji and Hanabi, has he?" I can't help but sneer. It's always been a sore spot of mine that Hiashi looks down on Hinata's abilities. Hinata is one of the strongest shinobi I know.

"I think he was considering having me train to head the Hyuga house after Hanabi expressed interest in becoming an Anbu but she decided against it. I have no desire to take over for father at all."

(A/n To be continued)


	9. A Morning Walk: Forward Steps Part2

(a/n continued from last chapter. added the last couple of paragraphs from last to make the conversation flow better)

I shake myself out of my thoughts, concentrating on her in the now, not from the past. "Just thinking. What did you do while I was gone? Like what missions did you go on and stuff?"

She looks a little taken aback like that's not what she thought I'd say or something but she shrugs and answers, "mostly escort missions but a few more dangerous ones with Shino and Kiba. I Proctered one of the chunin exams. And I've- I've been training under my father."

"he finally realized you're just as capable as Neji and Hanabi, has he?" I can't help but sneer. It's always been a sore spot of mine that Hiashi looks down on Hinata's abilities. Hinata is one of the strongest shinobi I know.

"I think he was considering having me train to head the Hyuga house after Hanabi expressed interest in becoming an Anbu but she decided against it. I have no desire to take over for father at all."

Well...that's not what I expected. Hiashi never thought Hinata was good enough. "He asked you to take over-"

She shakes her head quickly, "No, he never asked. He just started inviting me to family meetings and things like that. After I finally realized what he was aiming for, I moved out of the main house and stopped going to those meetings. He still teaches me family techniques sometimes though. He says it's important that all the powerful Hyuga learn them." I see her beam a little brighter than before. I can tell that her father's praise is still important to her after all these years, even knowing her own worth.

"That's great, Hinata. And Kiba told me you've learned a lot of stuff on your own too. You've been working hard while I've been gone. You should be so proud of yourself. I know I am." I grin at her and she blushes.

"I tried to keep busy. It kept my mind off of ...things." she clears her throat a little, returning my smile with a tiny one of her own. "But I did a lot to help the village too. And I loved looking over the chunin exams, seeing all those bright young people succeed. It was lovely. But it was mostly all training and missions."

We were nearing the hospital now. I start talking faster, trying to get as much conversation in as possible. "I bet you've learned tons. I'd love to see it sometime. Maybe you can give me some tips."

She gives me a look with a raised eyebrow and a half disbelieving smile but she just says "Sure, Naruto, we can train together sometime." We linger outside the doors to the hospital just looking at each other.

I want to ask her when I can see her again. Would that be pushing her too much? "Hinata, I-"

"I get off at five. If you can, I'd like it if we could walk home together." She still looks hesitant, but there is a small happiness on her face. A big bubble of happy hope expands in my chest and I know, even if I have to leave Kakashi mid-sentence, I will be back here at five.

"I'd like that too. I'll be here, I promise."

She gives me one last smile and slips through the doors. I practically skip down the street.

The rest of the day I replay our conversation in my head over and over. I know I'm being completely useless to Kakashi sensei but I can't help it. My head is full of nothing but Hinata. I see Kakashi roll his eyes at me every time he repeats himself. I start getting antsy around quarter to five, looking at the clock and shifting my weight in my seat.

"Just go, Naruto. I don't have anything else for you to do today. See you tomorrow." He raises a hand in farewell without looking up from his papers. I bolt from the room to meet the love of my life.

* * *

We keep walking together every day Hinata has work at the hospital. When she doesn't work, she walks me to Kakashi's office. About a two weeks later, we start meeting for lunch too. There are a few days we don't see each other at all and those days feel wretchedly long and empty, but for the most part, I can guarantee at least an hour with her each day.

As were walking under the bright, hot August sun, earlier today at three instead of five o'clock, Hinata asks if I'm going to Q's tonight.

"Course, I go every week, don't I?" I turn to smile at her and see she's fidgeting, touching her index fingers together in a way she hasn't done in years. I stop walking and Hinata does the same "What's up?"

"Well...I'm going too."

A pause while I wait for more.

"Okay...that's good."

She gives me an exasperated look. "Naruto...I thought maybe we could- we could g-go together?" She's dropped her gaze as she tripped over the sentence for some reason.

I scratch the back of my head, confused but pleased , "yeah, sure, we can walk together. What time?"

"No, Naruto," she blushes "I thought we could _goooo_ together. Like a- like, you know..."

The blush did it for me. "Oh! Like a date?" I grin hugely as she blushes a little darker, still not looking at me. I nudge her head up gently and smile. "Hinata will you please go to Yakiniku Q's with me? As my date?" I add proudly.

"Yes, I'll go with you. " she smiles and shakes her head, muttering under her breath "it'd be nice if I didn't have to do all the asking around here." I pretend not to hear her and smile.

"I'll pick you up at seven then okay?" I feel a little light headed with giddiness. A real date. With Hinata. Sure we'll be around all our friends doing something we'd be doing anyway but it's all about intentions, right? I think so anyway.

She nods and we start walking again but this time, for the first time in over six years, I reach across the space between us and lightly grab her hand. Gently enough that she can pull away if she wants to. Strongly enough to let her know I wish she wouldn't.

She doesn't pull away.

(a/n still a little on the short side but I'm so strapped for time right now. I shouldn't have even written this today because I have so much else to do. I'll update when I can. don't give up on me. as always, thanks for reading. it means a lot to me.)


	10. Naruto and Hinata: a Night Out

(A/n yikes it's been over a month. I'm so sorry. I'm graduating college next month so I've been super busy. This is the first night off I've had from work and school in a while. Okay date time, let's go!)

As soon as I get home, I jump in the shower then shave. Gotta look good for my date. My date! With Hinata! I can't believe my luck. Just a couple months ago, I thought she'd never even speak to me again and here we are, about to go on a real date!

A real date.

Suddenly all of my anxieties from our first date bubble up plus a hundred new ones. What if I do something lame and she doesn't want to go out again? Or what if I spill food on my shirt or the building catches fire?! What if she decides the pain I caused while I was gone doesn't deserve a second chance? Or a rogue ninja attacks and kills Kakashi and I have to step in as hokage? I feel all these are likely scenarios in my panicked state.

Before I'm fully aware I've made the decision, my phone is in my hand and I'm calling Sakura.

"Hello?"

"Sakura, I need help. I'm panicking over here." I'm pacing between the kitchen and living room, each lap slightly faster than the last.

"Panicking? What for? What's going on, Naruto?"

I take a deep breath, "okay so I asked Hinata out on a date and it's just Q's but it's a date and what if I screw something up or the building catches fire or or-"

Sakura starts laughing on the other end of the line, "Naruto slow down. The building is not going to catch on fire. And you dated Hinata for a while before you left, you did everything embarrassing that could be done back then. Just don't dump food on her like your other first date and you'll be fine."

I think I feel better from this, despite being told I was embarrassing before.

"She agreed to go out with you, so that's good. She wants to be with again, romantically I mean. Just breathe and be yourself. Hinata loves you."

"How do you know that?" I ask as a warm bubble of happiness spreads through my chest.

"You left for 6 years with no word and she's giving you another chance, of course she loves you, you dummy." She snorts "I don't think any small thing you could do wrong on a date would change her mind. Better?"

I give a small laugh, "yeah, actually. Thanks, Sakura."

"No problem... oh and wear those black pants I picked out for you. I think she really likes those." I wonder why she giggles after that.

"Sakura, why are- I mean why do you say that?"

"Naruto" she draws out the word like I'm being intentionally stupid before giggling again "I mean, she can't keep her eyes off your butt whenever you wear them. Ino and I laugh every time."

"What?!" I feel an odd mix of embarrassment and pleasure. "I- no she does not."

Another laugh, "every time you went up for more drinks or to use the bathroom. Ino and I made a game of it. Whoever doesn't see it first takes a shot."

And now my face feels hot from embarrassment. But still, who knew Hinata _admired_ me that way. A small chuckle slips out. "Okay, I feel better now. Thanks, Sakura."

"Anytime, knucklehead. See you later. On your daaaaate."

I tell her to shut up, in the friendliest way possible, then hang up and search for those jeans. Even if Sakura is lying about Hinata liking them so much, they are strangely comfortable. Who knew skinny jeans would be as comfortable as ninja training pants?

After throwing on a white undershirt, I search my small closet for a nicer shirt. No t-shirts tonight. I find a white button down with a pattern of tiny black foxes and smile. I bought it to annoy Kurama. I shrug that on and roll the sleeves up to my elbow since its still pretty hot out. Stopping in front of my mirror, I run a hand through my almost dry hair so it doesn't look completely bedraggled.

I lace myself into some old combat boots and check to make sure I have enough money for tonight and I'm ready to go.

5:30

"5:30!? How can it only be 5:30?" I ask the clock loudly and irritably. It stubbornly didn't answer. I groan and settle back into the couch to wait out the hour by watching tv. It doesn't go well. I feel every minute grudgingly pass and my worries start up again. I know it's stupid to worry and I should just be excited but I really don't want to mess this up.

Should I hold her hand again? Should I offer to pay or is it expected I'll pay? Should I kiss her good night? Oh I _really_ want to do that. My stomach flips pleasantly at the thought. Well just have to wait and see. I think I can read her well enough to know if she would want to kiss.

My foot taps out an impatient beat and I don't take in a word of what I'm watching.

Finally, _finally_ it's 6:30 and I can leave. I make myself walk normally, just as excited as, no more excited than when I walked her to work that first morning.

At 6:47 I knock on her door. I know it's 6:47 because I waited a full two minutes at her door before I knocked. I tried to wait longer, stick to the 7 o'clock time I have her, but I'm too excited to see her.

Faintly I hear, "it's unlocked, come in"

I do as she says, closing the door behind me. I sit at one of the kitchen chairs "Hinata?"

"I'm almost ready." Her voice is muffled behind a few walls and a door so I can't be sure if she sounds nervous too. I fiddle with her salt and pepper shakers while I wait.

Hinata's kitchen is bright and cheerful with a big window over the sink and next to the dining table. Everything is neat, like her bedroom was but with lots of homey touches. A lace cloth under the napkin holder, pictures held to the fridge with leaf magnets, vases of late summer blooming flowers, even an abstract painting I'm pretty sure Hinata painted herself.

Soft footsteps interrupt my gazing. I stand quickly and turn to face her.

My breath catches.

I wish I were better with words as I stumble over the wholly inadequate "wow, you l-look beautiful"

Her long hair is curled slightly, pinned back on one side, and she's wearing some eye shadow that makes the pale purple of her eyes bright and vibrant. Her dress fades from midnight blue to almost white at the bottom and hangs off her creamy white shoulders. It isn't skin tight but it shows off her figure in a way that most of her clothes don't, cinching in at the waist and falling a few inches above her knees.

She smiles up at me and she's perfect.

"Thank you." She tugs at my sleeve "I like the foxes." I grin, glad I made the right call.

"I know I'm a little early, sorry, I just couldn't wait to see you."

Her face softens as she replies, "that's okay. I- I was looking forward to it too." She grabs a purse from the counter and motions to the front door. I hold it open for her, she locks it, and we're on our way.

After a few minutes of talking about her sister and my training with Kakashi, I reach across and take her hand in mine. She threads her fingers through mine as we continue talking. I can't keep a grin off my face.

I hold the door for her when we get to Q's and she tugs me up beside her when we're in by the hand she's still holding. Our friends are all sitting at or on our regular tables save Shikamaru who's visiting Temari this weekend. When they notice our arrival, everyone stares for a moment. Then Kiba wolf whistles as a few people make loud noises of approval at our closeness and clasped hands. Shino says "it was only a matter of time" in that direct way he has of talking as Ino shouts "I knew it! Tenten pay up."

I'm grinning like mad as Hinata and I slip into the empty seats I'm pretty sure Sakura saved for us, since she's the only one who knew we had a date. Choji has already bought the first round of food, like he usually does since he ends up eating most of it.

"Do you want something to drink?" I ask Hinata.

"I think they have Kirin on tap. That and some water please." She smiles sweetly at me. I can't get enough of those smiles.

"Sure thing" I squeeze her hand before letting it go. "I'll be right back"

As I'm walking to the bar, I remember what Sakura said and glance casually back at the table. What do you know? Hinata is staring. My cheeks flush as I turn back around and order. While I'm waiting I see Ino taking a shot. Sakura catches my eye and winks, laughing.

I grab our drinks and return to the table, setting Hinata's down carefully so I don't spill it on her. She thanks me and takes a big drink of the beer. Maybe she is nervous. That makes me feel better.

"I didn't know you like Kirin. You usually get mixed drinks right?" I usually get the drinks for our group since I'm best at making shadow clones.

"Usually,"she concedes, "but I felt like being different today." When she leans forward to place the drink back on the table, her dress shifts and a little cleavage shows. I can't help but glance for a moment before looking back up at her face. Her raised eyebrow tells me she knows exactly what I was looking at.

"That dress looks great on you." I cover quickly.

Her cheeks pinken slightly but she looks pleased. "Thanks. I thought you might like it."

For a while we eat and drink and laugh. Ino is back with Sai tonight and she's teasing Kiba about not bringing his new girlfriend, a friend of the girl Choji's been seeing. "She's not my girlfriend," Kiba growls "I just hung out with her last night. No big thing." Shino is talking to Lee about a new type of insect he's breeding. Lee's the only one outside Shino's team that can stand taking about bugs without getting all creeped out. Sakura and Tenten are taking to Choji and his girlfriend, Kariu. At least I think they're dating now. Sure looks like it. I feel a rush of affection for them all.

My arm is draped over the back of Hinata's chair now that we're done eating. I've been being careful not to touch her. I don't want her to think I'm trying to put my arm around her. It just makes me closer to her, which is what I want more than anything, to be close to her. She shifts in her seat as she's talking to Kiba and she's leaning against my side, tucked under my arm. I don't think it was a conscious decision, she just did it, like she wants to be close to me too.

"What do you think, Naruto?" Kiba asks, pulling me from my thinking.

"About what?" I was so focused on Hinata, I'd stopped really listening to anyone.

He rolls his eyes. "Training tomorrow. You in? Me and Hinata were gonna work on target practice. "

Training with Hinata? Absolutely. "Sure I'm in. I'd better after all the food I ate tonight."

Hinata giggles and nods "me too. Kiba, could we do around 2 instead of 10? It's already pretty late now, I don't want to be tired."

Kiba nods and glances between me and her, an eyebrow raised. "Planning on being up really late, Hinata?"

"Kiba," she warns. He winks. It takes me a second to realize what he thinks is going to happen tonight. My face is flushed almost as much as Hinata's is but Kiba has laughed us off and is talking to Shino and Lee.

I feel the need to clarify things with Hinata now. "Nata, I didn't- I mean I wasn't. That's not why I asked you out."

"I know, Naruto. That's just Kiba. He's had his fair share of uum...dates that end like that. He's just teasing me." She smiles, the color leaving her cheeks. "Want another drink? My treat this time." I nod and she goes up to the bar.

"Sooooo?" Sakura inquires, leaning around Tenten, "how's it going? You guys are talking a lot. I was right about not having to worry huh?"

I roll my eyes "it's going well, Sakura. You were right. No fires and no hokage assassination attempts."

"What?" She laughs

"Oh, ha, I was worried about that too. That I'd have to go fill in for Kakashi after he was murdered."

She shakes her head at me, "so what's the plan for the rest of the night? Doing anything else with her?"

"No, just walking her home."

"That's it?" Tenten interjects. They both look disappointed.

Embarrassed, I quietly admit, "well I was going to try to kiss her. Is that better?"

"Much" Sakura nods and quickly changes subjects as Hinata sits back down, returning to leaning against my side. I cheer inside. "Hinata, I was just telling Naruto how great that dress is on you. Did he tell you he liked it?"

She hands me my beer and nods, smiling "he did, two or three times actually."

I laugh, declaring "well it's the truth. I have the prettiest date in all of Konoha." Hinata blushes and Sakura smiles at me like I've said exactly the right thing.

The rest of the night passes in a blur of stories and laughter and beer, Hinata warm against my side. Eventually I move my arm to rest against the smooth skin of her shoulders and she doesn't move away.

Okay, Naruto, I tell myself, these are all good signs. A kiss looks pretty likely right now. Don't screw it up.

Around 1:30, Ino and Sai leave. Kiba is chatting up a nomad girl at the bar and Shino stands awkwardly beside him, trying to talk to another. Ha! Shino as a wingman is about as hilarious as it comes. Sakura, Lee, and Tenten look about ready to leave too. Everyone slowly getting ready to go.

"Ready to go?" I ask Hinata, my heart already racing at the thought of a good night kiss. Nodding, she stands and says good night to the people left at the table. This time, she grabs my hand as we weave between the tables to the exit.

Fresh air hits our faces and Hinata comments "I didn't realize how hot it was in there" she does look a little pink. The heat or is she thinking about kissing also?

The walk to Hinata's is pleasant. We walk slowly, mostly silent, but it'scompanionable.

Out of nowhere, Hinata asks "Are you happy, Naruto?"

I think it's kind of a strange question but I answer honestly, "yeah, I am. Why? Aren't you?"

"Yes, of course I am, but, I ask because," she takes a little breath before plunging on "well you always said you wanted to become hokage so everyone would recognize you and respect you. And people do, without you being hokage. I just wounded if you weren't happy with that or you didn't believe people really liked you."

I think for a moment "no, I believe it. I guess my reasons for wanting to be hokage have changed. I love this village and I want to protect it. What better way than to become hokage, right?" I smile at her.

She nods, "okay, I was worried you weren't happy... with your life and ... the people in it. That being hokage was the only way you could be happy."

"That's not the only good thing in my life. Training with Kakashi isn't even the biggest source of happiness in my life. I have all our friends. I help people around the village. I have you. I'm very happy with you, Nata." I stop outside her door, still holding her hand. I don't want to let go.

"You are?"

"I am. Nothing makes me happier than seeing you smile at me." This causes her to smile, as I'd hoped. She takes a step closer to me.

"I- I'm happy with you too." She whispers. I lean closer to hear her soft voice "that's why I pushed you away for so long. I knew how I'd feel if I let you close and I wasn't sure if you were going to leave again." The wind carries a piece of her hair in front of her face. I reach out to brush it away, leaving my hand on the side of her cheek. She leans her face into my palm. "Now that I know you're not going anywhere and you're happy... I- I can't stay away. I can't keep you away any longer." She rests the hand not holding mine on my chest, not like she's pushing me away but like she needs to touch me with both hands. There's maybe a foot of space between us.

"I'm glad" my voice comes out husky and low "I don't want to be apart from you ever again."

She gives a happy sigh and closes her eyes, nuzzling my hand, her lips parted slightly. I lean forward, closing those few inches and my lips touch hers. Her lips are soft and warm and I feel like I can breath again, like I'm home.

My heart is pounding, I'm sure she can feel it as she gently grabs the front of my shirt, holding me against her. I drop my hand to her shoulder and her skin is velvet under my rough palm. She pulls her hand from mine and loops both of hers around my neck. I use my free hand to wrap around her waist. we still fit together perfectly.

We continue to kiss for several minutes or hours, I'm not sure, until I start thinking about what Kiba insinuated. Not on our second first date. I pull back from her gently, my chest heaving. Her eyes are confused and she's breathing hard too.

"If we keep kissing, I'll never be able to leave."

"That's the point," she smiles.

"Nata, I don't want to get carried away. Not yet." I kiss her forehead, "I'm not going anywhere, we have plenty of time." I scratch the back of my head, embarrassed, "I want _that_ to be special. More special than what we had the first time."

She blushes and nods, leaning her head down to rest against my chest. I circle my arms around her back, holding her close. I breathe in the heavenly scent of her shampoo and perfume.

Very quietly, I whisper, "I love you, Hinata"

She squeezes me tightly, remaining silent for a long while. Just as I'm thinking she's not going to answer, she whispers, "I love you too, Naruto" against my shoulder.

It's a miracle my heart didn't explode from happiness.

(A/n oh my gosh it's so late. I got way more into this than I thought I would. I'm so tired. Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading. I'm hoping to post again before November ends. Probably thanksgiving. Also I'm so honored to have been recommended on someone else's story. Thank you kingkakashi. It means so much to me that you like it.)


	11. A Sparring Match: Things Heat Up

(A/n sorry this next chapter has taken forever, I couldn't decide what I wanted to write. I don't really have a plot for this anymore. I was going to end it last chapter but you guys always give such motivating reviews. So I'll write a little more but not too much because I've already told the story I had in my head. From now on it's just extra but I'll try to keep a good and strong storyline. I also had a crazy few months at school and graduation and the holidays. ugh exhausting. but I'm here now. As always, thanks for reading.  
p.s. we're pretending that Naruto has both of his original arms and that cell phones exist.)

Damn.

Going slow with Hinata just got harder.

I mean, I've trained with her before but now ...damn.

After our date last night, I went home and crashed for a good nine hours, woke with a jolt you only get when you never sleep in late, and scarfed down some food. After pulling on some loose shorts and an orange t-shirt with the sleeves cut off, I set out to meet Hinata and Kiba, water bottle in tow.

I jog to the training field, nodding hello to a few people I pass.

"Naruto!" Kiba calls from across the field, "Hurry it up."

I grin as I come up beside them. "Hey, Kiba, Nata." I lean over and kiss her cheek. She smiles and Kiba rolls his eyes. "Let's get to it" Dropping to the ground, I begin stretching. The other two follow. We start out with target practice but it's more of a game of tag. One person darts through the woods at top speed and the other two have to hit them. We used fake kunai with blunt edges so no one got hurt. After we've all taken a few turns, we move on to sparring.

Kiba and I duke it out for a while, working up a sweat. Nata watches, cross legged on the ground. The afternoon sun is scorching so I offer to refill everyone's water from a spring not too far away.

Hinata thanks me and takes a long drink. "Alright, Naruto, you and me." Tossing my water bottle towards Kiba, I turn and square up to Hinata, a slight smile of anticipation on my face. I haven't sparred with Nata in a while.

She tugs the zipper of her hoodie down and shrugs out of it, tossing it aside.

And so I repeat, damn.

Her long hair is pulled back into a messy ponytail and her skin is flushed from the heat and exercise and I can see plenty of it, without the oversized hoodie, She's left in very short shorts that show a good deal of smooth, pale thighs and a tight tank top with ample cleavage. I'm pretty sure my eyes are about a second from falling out of my head when she smirks and throws a quick jab my way.

Distantly, I hear Kiba laugh so I try to pull myself together. Don't focus on your smoking hot girlfriend, focus on her quick fists.

The longer we fight, the more I notice how strong she is physically. I tend to think of her as being my small Hinata that needs protecting, despite my knowing she's a jonin level ninja. But her movements are fluid and graceful. She's sure footed. The lean muscles of her body flex with every step and punch. She is strong and beautiful.

And totally kicking my butt since I keep thinking about her body instead of her attacks.

"Naruto, you're not going easy on me, are you?" she smiles, easily dancing away from me, her fingers grazing my shoulder playfully.

"Nah, Hinata," Kiba laughs, "he just can't keep his eyes off your-" I throw one of the blunt kunai at him which just makes him laugh harder. My head turned away from, Hinata strikes, pushing my upper body as she swipes my feet out from under me. I let out a little oof as my butt hits the ground. "And Hinata wins! Sorry knucklehead."

"Good job, Nata." I smile up at her as I pull myself into a sitting position. "I forgot how fierce you are." She blushes as I tug her down to sit next to me. This is probably not a good idea actually, since now I have a much better view of her chest. Tank tops should be illegal.

"Like the fight, Naruto?" Kiba grins at me, an eyebrow raised. I quickly avert my eyes

"Yeah, Hinata is a good opponent." I nudge her with my shoulder. She smiles widely at me.

Kiba glances at his cell phone, grinning wolfishly. "Gotta go. Hot date tonight. See ya later, guys."

We wave as he jogs away. "It would have been a better fight if you weren't so distracted." She cocks her head to one side, smiling playfully.

"I was ...distracted." I duck my head, running a hand through my sweaty hair.

"By me?" I can hear the smile in her voice.

I glance over and see her blushing, "Well, I have't seen so much of you in a long time." I laugh "I'm just a man, Nata." She leans sideways and kisses me.

"Maybe I wore this because I wanted you to look" she whispers, giving me a tiny smile. Then she scoots in front of me, leaning into me across my folded legs.

Even all sweaty, she's the most beautiful person I've ever seen. Her light eyes, full lips turned up in a little smile, the few very light freckles on her nose. I lean forward and kiss her, placing a hand on the side of her neck. She gives a small sigh, pressing closer to me. She feels so wonderful and familiar. I run my hands down her back, scooping her up so she's sitting in my lap.

I wonder briefly if she finds my sweat body gross but then her arms circle around my neck and she parts her lips to deepen the kiss. I'll take that as confirmation that I am not gross. I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her closer.

"You really wore this for me to see?"

She flushes slightly, "well, I always have the tank top on, I just never take the hoodie off. Until today."

"Well," I murmur, fingering the thin strap of her barely there shirt "I like it. You don't ever wear anything so ... revealing." I kiss her shoulder. "Not that you have to!" I cover quickly. Last thing I need is her thinking I want her to wear this all the time. "You're always beautiful-"

She cuts me off with a kiss "I know what you mean, Naruto" she smiles. I lean in for another long kiss. Just as my body has started to convince my brain that waiting is a dumb thing to do, another voice cuts into our moment.

"Naruto! Hinata! Hey, what are you two up to?" Ino's voice drips with implication. I quickly extract my hands from the hem of Hinata's shirt as she backs out of my lap, grinning at me sheepishly.

"H-hey, Ino," she stutters, pulling her hoodie back on as I stand.

"You guys here to train?" Her eyes are practically falling out her head.

"Nope, just finished. We're heading back to the village now." I tug Hinata as I speed walk across the field.

Hinata laughs beside me, "She's already got her phone out. Probably telling everyone she saw us making out. She's such a gossip."

"She's not the only one who feels like shouting about it." I tug her closer to me, wrapping an arm around her waist. "It was pretty fantastic. Too bad Ino had to show up."

"Naruto," she bumps against me, giggling, "we got a little carried away though. It's better she did."

"Yeah, I gueesss" I draw out the word, grinning at her.

"You're the one who said waiting would be good, remember," she winks "I just agreed."

I stop our walking and pull her into me, "why has no one told me how dumb I am" I joke.

She jokes right back, "maybe no one noticed, number one knuckleheaded ninja."

We kiss for a little while and then head home. For a cold shower.

(heeeeey I finally finished. what do you guys think of this turning into full fledged smut in like one or two chapters? it's something I'm debating since this chapter went a little steamier than I expected. haha. anyway thanks again for reading. I'll try to update sooner)


	12. A Small Promise

It's September and the sky is a perfect cloudless blue. I'm walking through the street market, stocking up on food that isn't instant Ramen since Hinata comes round my apartment now.

"Hey, Naruto!" Sakura calls from a few food stands down from me, waving an arm.

I wave and walk toward her. "Sakura, hey. What's up?"

"What's up?" she laughs, "How bout you go first, since you've basically dropped off the map since your date with Hinata."

Sheepishly, I grin at her, running a hand through the back of my hair. It's true, I haven't been out much since that date about three weeks ago. I spend almost every free, waking moment with Hinata. We walk to work together, eat lunch together, and, after work, I spend most of the evening with her either at her place or mine. The only reason I'm not with her now is because she's on a mission outside the village until later tonight. "Sorry, Sakura, I've been a little ..."

"Obsessed with Hinata?" She suggests with a smile.

I chuckle, nodding. "I just want to be around her, make up for all the time I was gone. I guess I forgot about everyone else."

She rolls her eyes, "do you have time to walk with me a while? I need some groceries and I want to hear how things are going." I nod and we wander slowly through market. "So..?"

"So?"

She throws an exasperated look at me "How are things with you and Hinata?"

"Oh," I smile broadly, "great! I mean there are still some times where she mentions how sad she was when I left and then I get sad. But we talk about it and I'd rather that then have her bottle it up."

"I can't get over how mature you are now, Naruto, I keep expecting the dopey kid I knew when we were 13 to come out."

I raise an eyebrow at her, "I'm still pretty dopey. It hasn't all matured. Like I was telling you a few weeks ago, I completely perfected that sexy jutsu." That gets a chuckle out of her. "And I'm still terrible about not being able to keep my mouth shut. Still loud and exuberant, just not as much as before."

"That's true." she gives a quick smile before assuming a comical, business-like expression "But back to what we were talking about. You and Hinata. You guys spend a lot of time together?"

"Yeah. Pretty much every minute we're not at work or sleeping. Like I said, making up for lost time." I shrug, smiling, trying not to feel the tug of sadness that I get whenever I think about those six years.

She keeps looking at me expectantly for a minute before asking, "so what do you guys do?"

Why is she so interested? "We talk a lot. Watch movies. Train." I shrug "Normal stuff."

"So...have you two..." she trails off suggestively.

Oooooh. That's why she's interested. I laugh, "no not yet. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, just something Ino was telling me the other day." Damn, nosy Ino. "She said she walked in on something pretty hot and heavy between the two of you. I was just curious since you told me you two had done it before. I didn't want Ino to be the first to know if that _did_ happen."

It's my turn to roll my eyes, "Don't worry, Sakura, you'll be the first to know. But we're still planning on going more slowly, so don't expect it any time soon" She smiles, satisfied. "So tell about you. I haven't really talked to you about the Sasuke stuff lately or anything else. How are you doing?"

She heaves a deep sigh, switching her bag to her other hand before answering. "I'm getting over it. I realize that he's not coming back and my life is here, I can't go after him. And, at this point, I wouldn't, even if I could. I think I'm okay, Naruto." She hesitates, biting her bottom lip in thought. "Did he seem happy with that other clan?"

I think back to the year I spent watching them. While I'd never describe Sasuke as a happy guy, he definitely seemed less moody there. I remember seeing him offer to clean his elderly neighbors yard after a bad storm and refusing any payment besides some food. "Yeah, I think he was. He lived by himself but there were always visitors and he talked to his neighbors. He did friendly things for them. I don't think he would if he weren't happy there. To me, it seemed like he was making a home there, surrounded by people that care for him."

Sakura nods, smiling wistfully, "I'm glad he found what he was looking for." she takes another deep breath, hesitating slightly and somewhat forcing a cheery grin "But enough about Sasuke. I've sort of been seeing someone. Very casual. I'm thinking of inviting him to Q's this week, so everyone can meet him."

"That's great! What's his name, do I know him?"

"No, I don't think so, he moved here a few months ago from the sand. His name is Kou. He's ...he's a very good guy. I think you'll like him." I smile at her very uncharacteristic blush. I hope things work out with him. Sakura deserves to be happy.

"Can't wait to meet him."

We spend the rest of the afternoon together, buying our groceries and chatting. I've missed spending so much time with Sakura. I'll have to make more time for people who aren't Hinata.

As we reach the end of the line of shops, Sakura and I move to part ways. "Do you want to meet up for dinner later?"

She smiles apologetically, "Sorry, Naruto, I can't tonight. I'm making dinner for Kou." she hefts her bags in my direction, "hence the need for so many groceries. Rain check?"

"Yeah, absolutely. See ya later, Sakura." I throw a hand up in farewell as we walk away from each other. The sun is just starting it's descent in the sky, the afternoon heat clinging to my skin. On my way home I call out a hello to Ino and Sai as they cross my path, looking like they're going out somewhere fancy; Ino in a short, sleek dress and Sai in a nice button down shirt. I can't help but smile. They do make a good couple when they aren't yelling at each other for silly reasons.

I see Konohamaru and his friends too on my way home, stopping to chat a few minutes, until Hanabi meets up with them and they go on their way. I didn't know Hanabi was friends with Konohamaru. She seems kind of cool for them.

The rest of the night is spent making dinner (ramen) and playing some video games. I consider asking Kiba to come over until I remember he's out on the mission with Hinata. Maybe I should get a dog or something. It's a little lonely here without Nata.

I keep checking my phone, hoping she'll get back early and we can still hang out before it gets too late. But no luck there as the clock turns over to 1:06. I stand, yawning and stretching as I walk to my bedroom, taking off my jeans as I go. I open the window wide and switch on the fan set on the desk in front of it, relishing the cool breeze. I tug my tshirt off too and slip into bed. As I roll over, attempting to get more comfortable, I hear a knock on my door.

Groaning, I get back up and pad down the hall. Another knock, "Naruto? Are you awake?" The most beautiful voice in the whole world. I smile, unlocking the door and pulling it open for Hinata.

"Wait" I call, suddenly remembering I'm in just a pair of boxers. "Let me grab a shirt"

She pushes her way in anyway and I catch the tail end of her eye roll. "I've seen you naked, Naruto."

"I guess that is true." I mumble, closing the door again as she pulls off her shoes and drops a backpack on the ground. Her silky hair falls over her bare shoulder as she straightens back up, smoothing her white tank top absently.

Smiling, she moves toward me, arms open, "hi." I pull her in to a hug. It feels especially nice after four days of not seeing her. "I saw your light turn off as I came up to the building so I figured you'd still be awake. I didn't want to wait til tomorrow to see you; we just got back."

"I'm glad you didn't. I missed you."

She pulls back, eyeing my bare chest with a slight blush. "I'll go and let you get back to sleep, it's late."

"No, no. You can stay. I want you stay." I notice now how tired she looks ",Oh but it is late, you probably want to sleep." I look around my dark apartment then back at her, "You could stay the night, sleep here with me. I mean if you want."

"Sleep here?" she gives a huge yawn, "Okay. That sounds nice. Can I take a shower first?"

"Of course," I lead her down the hallway, turning on the bathroom light for her. I pull a clean towel out of the hall closet and hand it to her. "You want a shirt to sleep in?"

She nods, "yes, thank you." She pulls her shirt off as I walk out the door and I get a glimpse of her smooth stomach and purple bra before the wall obscures my vision. I grab an old green tshirt and a pair of boxers, just in case, and dawdle around until I hear the shower turn on and the rustle of the curtain before I set the clothes on top of the closed toilet seat. The pile of clothes on the floor draws my attention and I suddenly can't stop thinking about the fact that my girlfriend is very naked on the other side of that plastic curtain. I force myself to turn away and go back to bed before I do something rash.

A little while later, Hinata's head pokes into the door, smiling sweetly. I pat the bed next to me and she walks over slowly. "Promise you won't be gone when I wake up?" She slides under the sheet, smiling to let me know it's a joke, but it still makes me just a little sad.

I pull her into my arms, inhaling her clean, soapy smell and feeling her damp hair on my shoulder. "I promise."

She snuggles against me, giggles "Do you always wear so little clothing to sleep in?"

I blush "When it's this hot out, yes." I poke her side playfully "Usually no one is around to notice. What, don't like what you see?" I flex my arms, waggling my eyebrows at her.

She laughs quietly, "That's not it at all. Just thinking I might have to stay over more often." She winks and you'd almost believe she wasn't embarrassed if you weren't looking for the light pink in her cheeks.

Scooting down to rest my head on my pillow, I say, "stay over as much as you like. I could get used to seeing those thighs more often." I pull the sheet up to stare at her bare legs. She laughs again, covering them as much as she can with her hands. She swats my hands away and snuggles against my side as the sheet settles back down on us.

She yawns so I reach over and turn off the bedside lamp. "Goodnight, Nata. I'm glad you're back." She cranes her neck up so we can kiss.

"Goodnight, Naruto. Love you"

"You too." I whisper, pulling her closer against me. After a few minutes her breaths slow with sleep. I drift off not too long after that, feeling incredibly happy to have my girl by my side again. Totally worth all of the time and effort and not going on extended missions. It's not even a competition with the feeling I have right now.

(Just a little something. Hope you like it. Thanks for reading)


	13. A Day Together: Breakfast at Naruto's

(To answer that guest- no Sasuke is not coming back. I've always hated him and I don't want to write him. Sakura is still sad about Sasuke but she is happy with Kou. She will, with time, be completely happy. Maybe with Kou, maybe not, I haven't decided yet. But no Sasuke.

Fyi to all readers, if you don't like the story, don't read it. No one is forcing you too. So if you don't like it just click the little close button. There's no need to leave mean guest reviews because you don't like 1st person pov or you think I made Naruto too mature. Like fuck off, this is my story. Don't like it? leave.

This is a short in between kind of chapter. I wanted to release something but I didn't feel like writing the dinner yet. That'll probably be up Monday since I have some time off of work. thanks, as always, for reading. your enjoyment keeps this alive)

A few birds outside my window wake me up. I crack open an eye, intent on glaring at them until my gaze falls on the dark haired beauty next to me. I'd forgotten! She stayed!

She's on her side, facing me, curled slightly toward my body. Her hair is fanned out behind her on the pillow, messy from sleeping on it while still wet.

I shift slowly, careful not to disturb her, and kiss her forehead. She blinks sleepily at me and a small smile spreads across her face.

"Morning" I say quietly.

"Good morning, Naruto." I feel her stretch her legs for a moment and then she's scooting closer to me. She presses her face into the space between my neck and shoulder so I snake my arms around her.

"You sleep okay?"

"mmhmm" she hums against my skin, making me shiver. "Do you have to work with Kakashi today?" Every word she says makes her lips brush against the skin of my chest, making it a little difficult to concentrate on what she's saying.

"Umm...no, I don't have to. I've been in every other day this week. Are you- do you want to spend the day together?" She nods. "Okay, let me call him."And get away from your lips before something else wakes up, I add mentally.

I cross the room to where I'd dropped my pants yesterday and pull my cell out. I leave a message at his desk and then turn back to Hinata. She's leaning against my headboard, running a hand through her long hair, trying to tame it. "What do you want to do?"

Her eyes snap up from my chest to face. "oh, um...nothing in particular." She pats the bed beside her so I go sit next to her again. "I just wanted to spend the day with you."

A wide grin spreads across my face. "Alright. That sounds good to me." We spend a god part of the morning talking, curled around each other, until my stomach lets out a loud, long growl. Chuckling, I rub the offending body part.

"Time for breakfast?" Hinata giggles, sliding off my bed. She hefts her unruly hair over one shoulder, braiding it quickly. In this light, her light eyes glow almost lavender. She smiles sweetly at me and it squeezes my heart. She is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.

"Naruto..."

I shake myself out of my silent admiration and jump out of bed.

"How about this time, I make you breakfast?"

"Aw, Nata, you don't have to do that. It's my place, I can cook for you."

Shaking her head, she smiles, "I want to. You let me stay over, it's the least I can do. Okay?" I nod my ascent and she gets to work, rifling through the contents of my refrigerator and cupboards. I sit at my small table, watching the fluid way she moves, much different than the halting steps of her youth. As she starts a burner on the stove, setting a pan on top of it, she glances over at me. "What?" she asks, tugging self-consciously on a lock of hair that escaped her braid.

" _What_ what?"

"You're staring."

I grin at her, unabashed, "You're nice to look at."

A pink blush creeps across her cheeks, but she smiles happily.

During the rest of her time cooking, she glances over at me every so often and smiles when she sees I'm still watching her. She finishes up and brings the plates over to me. Miso ramen, white rice with chicken and a fried egg on top, and buttered toast.

Wow.

She looks at me over the food, "is this alright?"

"Heck yes it is. Wow, Nata, this is the best breakfast I've had in years!" She looks pleased as she sits and we both dig in. "I didn't even know," I say through a half full mouth of food, "that I even had the stuff for all this."

"What do you eat every morning then?"

"hmm" I take another huge bite, "usually just instant ramen. Sometimes toast and milk." The chicken and rice is so flavorful. Hinata is really a great cook.

"Poor Naruto," she says in a friendly, mocking way. "You should have a decent breakfast every morning."

"The only way that'll happen is if you just lived here. That'd be great."

I scarf down a few more mouthfuls until I hear a very quiet, "I could"

I glance up at her quickly. "What? Did you say something?"

"Oh, ummm..." her cheeks have gone pink again. "no, nothing."

I could swear she had said she could live here. Does she want to live with me? She's got that great house on the Hyuga compound though. She wouldn't want to give that up for this small place. Would she? I'm sure her father would not allow me to live there with her. I don't know if he likes me. Maybe I should be worried about that. Wait but first, Hinata. I open my mouth to ask if she said what I thought she said but she speaks over me.

"I told me father I'd have dinner with him tonight, when I was supposed to have gotten back from my mission, so I can only stay until around five, okay?"

Man, less time with her. This blows.

"Oh, alright," I say slowly, letting my disappointment show a little.

She studies me as she says, "you could come too, you know. My father has been wanting to meet you properly.

"What? Why?"I bark nervously. uh oh. What did I do?

Stifling a grin at my apprehension, she answers, "Because we're dating."

"Oh..."I trail off, thinking it through. That doesn't sound too bad, I guess. Even though just thinking about having dinner with her father makes me simultaneously extremely nervous and angry. He's the father of my girlfriend and I left her for a long time and because he was one of the village members that scorned and looked down on me as a kid. He also seems to put down Hinata every chance he gets.

She must see the uncertainty on my face because she says quietly, "I'd like it if you came."

Well that's settled then. "Of course I'll go." Her face instantly brightens, holding the anger and nerves inside me at bay.

We pass the rest of the day watching movies, cuddled up on my couch, occasionally taking some time to kiss. As much as I'd like to keep going, we break things off before it gets too heated. I meant what I said a few weeks ago, Hinata deserves something special. I...just gotta figure out how to do that.

But not tonight. Tonight is all about getting along with Hiashi Hyuga.

Okay, I can do this, believe it!


	14. Dinner With Hiashi: Anger Abound

(a/n forewarning, paid servants. it'll make sense. i'm just not into slavery, ya know. okay. thanks for reading)

The closer it gets to 5 o'clock, the more nervous I get. As we finish watching a movie, I keep running a hand over my hair, trying to flatten it, to no avail. Eventually Hinata grabs my hand, smiling at me, "you look fine. You should probably get ready though. We need to leave soon so I can stop at home to change."

"Alright" I practically launch myself off the couch, my legs are all jittery. Unsure of what to expect, I tug on a pair nice black pants and stand in front of my closet, looking for an appropriate shirt. I sort of daze out for a few minutes because next thing I know Hinata is standing next to me, nudging my side gently.

"I like the one with the foxes."

I can almost hear Kurama growl.

"I don't want him to think I'm goofy." I mumble, touching a plain white button down.

"You're going to be hokage. Even if he thinks you're goofy, he wouldn't dare say anything. My father is all about keeping up appearances." She leans toward me, placing a hand on my chest to stay herself as she kisses my cheek. Under her fingers, my heart gives a loud thud. "I like that you're goofy."

"Thanks" I mutter, a little sarcastically. She just smiles, dropping her hand. I pull on a white t-shirt and, after a quick glance at Hinata, I shrug on the fox shirt, buttoning it quickly. I hold my arms out to either side in a "what do you think" kind of gesture.

Her answering smile is dazzling. "You look very handsome. And a little goofy" she adds on.

I fidget with my clothes on the walk to Hinata's, smoothing wrinkles I wouldn't even think about normally. Again, a touch from Hinata stops the nervous gestures. "Thank you for coming, Naruto. My father is much more tolerable with company and Hanabi is off on a mission."

"No problem, Hinata. I want to be there" that's a little bit of a lie but hey, I'd do anything for Nata.

The guards at the Hyuga gate give Hinata's borrowed outfit of my sweatpants and t-shirt a raised eyebrow as we pass but she doesn't seem to notice, just squeezes my hand a little.

"Take a seat please" she gestures toward her couch as we walk into her house, "I'll just be a minute." Instead of sitting though, I wander her living room. Hinata has tons of pictures, most of which she takes, and she switches the ones that are hanging up pretty often. Right now I can see one of her team, one of Kurenai and her baby, a few of her and I, and one of Hanabi.

I follow the trail of framed photos down her hallway and see Hinata's door is wide open. I can't help but see a mostly unclothed Hinata, slipping into a lavender dress. I quickly back down the hallway again so she doesn't think I was peeping but the image stays with me. Hinata's perfect, creamy thighs, her long hair hanging over a strong back, chest covered in a silky bra. Jeez she's beautiful.

Her footsteps come down the hall so I give my head a shake, trying to forget her perfect body. "Ready to go." She stands near the front door, pulling on a pair of sandals. I step up beside her, eager to leave before I do something that would make us late for dinner.

I put a hand on the knob, ready to open it for her when she interjects "Oh wait," and pulls out her phone. She sidles up close to my side, aiming the camera at us. I smile, leaning my head down closer to hers. I still can't believe how much taller I got while I was gone. I've got a full head length on her now. She smiles at the phone and, as she hits the button to take a picture, I press a kiss to her cheek.

She puts her phone away in a purse, grinning at me. "Okay, now we can go."

"You sure take a lot of photos, Nata, you didn't used to."

"Oh," she glances at me, a little nervously, "well when you um..left, I started to want documentation of my good memories, I guess. So I started taking lots of pictures and gathering old ones from other people. It was good to look at the smiling faces when I got upset."

My heart gives a painful thump as I pull her into a hug. "I'm sorry," I whisper.

"It's okay, Naruto, really." And she does sound okay, not angry and tearful at all. I pull away from her and we start walking again.

After a little while of silence, in which I was dwelling on how awful I am for leaving, Hinata speaks. "I know we've talked about all this before but I really do understand the circumstances of your leaving, Naruto. I was very hurt when you left, but I've been able to move on. I don't want you to feel anguished when I bring something up like I just did."

"I know... it's just hard. I felt so bad for leaving you, the whole time I was gone. Hearing about your pain, instead of just imagining it, is always ...hard." I finish lamely, scrunching up my face in a pout.

Hinata rubs a soothing thumb across the back of my hand. "Just don't do it again, okay?" She smiles, joking, but I take it to heart.

"Never. You're stuck with me forever."

A guard in front of the main house opens the front door for us murmuring "good evening, lady Hinata." She nods to him and pulls me across the threshold. We hang around the little room. I think it's called a foyer, just inside the front door, a huge staircase in front of us, while another guard goes to tell Hiashi we're here.

Before too long, Hiashi sweeps into the room. Hinata bows respectfully, "hello, father." Hiashi still wears the ornate kimonos of the past. While most of the village has modernized, he clings to traditions.

"Hinata," he replies, dipping his head in her direction. He then turns to me. "Hello, Mr. Uzumaki."

"Oh, hello um, sir," I nod my head at him. "I hope it's okay that I'm here. Hinata invited me."

"Of course. I've been wanting to meet with you. This is a fine time for it." He looks to the side, through an open door and then back to us. "It looks as if dinner is ready. Shall we go in?"

We file in after him. My eyes widen at the room in front of me. I've never been inside the Hyuga main house before, except Hinata's room, not even before I left. The room is simple but it looks rich. The walls are hung with expensive looking paintings. The table is large and polished so it gleams and the cushions on the floor are ornately embroidered and tasseled. The whole setup lays atop a heavy, finely woven rug, emblazoned with the Hyuga crest.

Hiashi sits at the head of the table. I dawdle behind Hinata, not sure where to sit. She looks back at my wide eyes and pulls me along to sit beside her, reassuringly patting my arm. A short, dark haired woman bustles around us, pouring tea into delicate, finely painted cups. They have servants? Crap, I knew she had money but this is more than I'd guessed.

"Hinata," Hiashi says quietly, "how did your mission go? Was it a success?"

"Yes, father. Our charge was safely escorted back home. There were no set backs." I throw a raised eyebrowed look at her. Hinata sounds oddly formal. More than normal.

"Good, good. It's nice to hear you're no longer a burden on your teammates."

How can he say that to her? That is just mean. Before I can help it, a scathing sound escapes my throat. They both turn to look at me.

"Yes, Mr. Uzumaki?"

Suddenly, I remember all the things I was scared of before and I get nervous, backing down in an uncharacteristic move. "Nothing, sorry. Um, something caught in my throat."

He regards me over the top of his tea cup. "Hinata tells me you're to be the next hokage."

Even though it's not a question, I answer, "yes, I train with Kakashi most days."

"Do you feel you're up to the task? Even though the war is over, there are a lot of problems the hokage must attend to and you've been ...away from the village so often."

I bristle. Who the hell is he to tell me I'm not fit to be hokage?!

"Father, Naruto is the hero of the leaf. He trains hard at everything he does." Hinata backs me up in a small voice. I guess it's still hard for her to stand up to her father.

He touches his fingertips together beneath his chin thoughtfully. "I'm not saying he doesn't...just that, in the past, he's been a little high tempered. Is he really ready for the responsibility?" He glances at me, "well, are you?"

"Granny Tsunade was a hothead too, remember. Kakashi says my training is going well. He lets me take care of lots of stuff for the village!" By the end, I'm close to chouting, holding back only to try to prove I'm not always a hothead.

"Hmm" he considers, "yes that's true. Forgive me, I am wary of change." He doesn't really sound sorry though. But he's not looking at me with the cold, hateful eyes he used to so maybe there's some truth to his regrets.

I take a deep breath, letting it out slowly, "I love this village and I'd give my life to protect it. Isn't that the most important trait of being a hokage?"

"Yes," he says slowly before giving me a small smile. He opens his mouth to say more but a few women come out with trays and plates of food. So much that it rivals the feast Yamato bought us that time we went after Saskue.

"Special occasion?" I whisper to Hinata. She shakes her head. "What you eat like this every day!"

"Yes, when I lived here."

Wow.

We spend a few minutes in silence, just eating the delicious food.

But soon Hiashi starts asking questions again. "You were gone fore quite some time." Again he doesn't ask it as a question but it feels like one.

"Yeah, Kakashi sent me to trail Sasuke Uchiha. It took a lot longer than I thought." I stare moodily at my plate, stabbing a piece of fish a little harder than intended.

"You left my daughter in quite a state." My head snaps up to look at him. Is he ... sticking up for Hinata in a way? Is he mad at me? He doesn't sound mad. Then again he never sounds like he has any emotion at all.

"Father, that is unkind. I've forgiven Naruto." Hinata's cheeks have turned pink and she glances at me apologetically.

"I'm just wondering if he grasped the full consequences of his actions."

"I do." I say a little too sharply. "I'm lucky Hinata is so kind and understanding."

He just stares at me with his pupilless eyes, made creepy from the lack of emotion. He leaves me alone while we finish our meal.

As the women bustle around again, clearing the plates, Hiashi seems to have made up his mind about me; a complete 180 from his line of questioning from before.

"I think Kakashi made the right choice with you, Mr. Uzumaki."

"Um, thanks?" I don't mean it to sound like a question but I'm a little confused about Hiashi's train of thought.

"My daughter is right, you do train hard. You have quite an impressive arsenal of jutsu at your command and a sound head on your shoulders, despite being quick to anger." Why does it sound like he's been testing me this whole dinner? "Not to mention being from a respected clan."

"Thank you." I say a little more confidently, smiling at Hinata.

"I have to wonder why then you've taken up with Hinata." He says seriously.

"I-uh what do you mean?" I look confused between him and Hinata. She stares at me, just as confused.

"My daughter works hard, yes, but she is still weak and doesn't strive to live up to her name. She denounced herself as head of the clan and works as a nurse while going on mostly c rank missions. She is not exactly ... worthy of being with a hokage." He says all of this with a calm, detached voice, not looking away from me.

His words are so absurd it takes me a moment to realize he just put down Hinata in a major way. I stand up quickly, pointing an accusing finger at him. "Hold up now. I won't let you say those kinds of things about Hinata. She's your daughter!" Anger bubbles up inside, fueling my rant, all thoughts of making Hiashi like me for Hinata's sake gone. "Hinata is the strongest, kindest person I've ever met! She never gives up and she will fight for what she wants! You have no right saying those awful things about her." Hiashi's face has gone satisfyingly pale and stricken. "Do not mistake her gentle nature for weakness. I'm sure she can kick your ass any day!"

I motion for Hinata to stand, which she does, looking almost as stricken as Hiashi, but also a little pleased. I take a step closer to Hiashi. "I love Hinata and I'm the one not worthy of her. So just shut up about it." I tug at Hinata's hand as I storm towards the door.

"Mr. Uzumaki, wait a moment." I turn towards him sharply, ready to bolt at the smallest provocation. "I'm glad you feel so strongly." I gape at him, thoroughly confused and still angry.

"Are you crazy?!"

"No. Merely ... invested in my daughter's future. You did leave her once. I suppose you could say it was a test."

"A TEST?!" I want to deck him. Only Hinata's pressure on my arm keeps me rooted there.

"That wasn't fair, father!" Her tone is sharp, much louder than usual. "That was just cruel." And she's the one to storm out. That's my girl! I stand there awkwardly for a moment before bolting out after Hinata.

What a freaking weird dinner. My head hurts from all the changes in conversation. I see Hinata running toward her house so I dash off after her, ignoring the polite goodbyes from the guards I pass.

"Nata, hey wait up!" She tears her front door open and I catch up to her as she dashes inside, fuming.

"I can't believe him!" She storms toward her bedroom so I follow. "He- he- he's just plain mean! How could he say all those things? All for some stupid test he thought you had to pass? What garbage." She pulls a duffle bag from her closet and stuffs armloads of clothes into. She glances over at me "Can I stay with you? I can't stand to even be on the same street as him right now!"

"Y-yeah, of course." Wow I've never seen her this upset at anyone but me.

"Aren't you furious? I know he's still apprehensive because you're a jinchuuriki. All that about you being a good choice means nothing from him. I mean obviously you are! But he doesn't really think so. He just completely toyed with you and me!" She storms off into the bathroom and comes back with an armful of shampoo and whatever else girls use, still muttering.

"Yes, I am mad at him, that's why I yelled at him. He's lucky I didn't clock him. I can understand him being wary of me, I'm used to that, but all that stuff he said about you! I could've strangled him. I don't care if it was some stupid test, he came up with all that junk too easily. He doesn't understand you at all!"

My anger seems to have cooled hers slightly, or maybe my concern for her takes the edge off the anger. I don't know.

She zips the bag and gives me a hug. "Sometimes, I'm still astounded that you think all those things of me, Naruto. That I'm strong and such. And it's very kind of you to stick for me."

I hug her back tightly. "Course I think that way of you. Everything I told your dad was true. You're amazing." She pulls back and kisses me hard for a long moment.

"Okay, let's go back to your place now."

I tug her bag onto my shoulder and she scoops the clothes she'd worn on the walk over here off her bed along with her quilt.

"I've got more blankets if you were cold last night."

"Oh no, that's not it. It's just, this was my mother's."

I nod and we walk over to my place, both fuming over Hiashi. After returning to my apartment, I clear out space in my closet and bathroom for Nata's stuff and she gets settled in. It's kinda nice having her here. Even if it is for kind of a lousy reason. Eventually both of our anger ebbs away and we fall asleep with my arms wrapped around her.

(well this ended up a little different than I expected. Hiashi has always seemed like a douche to me so hopefully this isn't weird. I liked it. I'll write again soon.)


	15. Back Home: Kisses and Conversations

(a/n short and fluffy and a little smutty. I've been too tired from work to write anything more)

"Naruto?"

I glance over at the dark haired beauty on the couch next to me, clad in the clothes I'd given her to wear last night once again. "Yeah, Nata?"

She fidgets with a length on her hair, glancing up at me through her lashes, "it's alright that I'm staying here, right? I feel like I didn't give you a choice and I just want to ...make sure it's okay?"

Her worried voice almost makes me laugh. "Of course it's alright, Nata. I love having you here." I touch her cheek lightly, smiling at her.

"I just don't want to be a burden." her voice is tiny. It makes me think she's thinking about the stuff her father said at that stupid dinner.

"You could never be a burden to me. I meant everything I said to Hiashi, Hinata. You're kind and helpful and strong and I love you. So don't even worry about it. Stay as long as you want. Seriously" I pat her hand comfortingly. I add jokingly, "and if you wanna contribute, you can pay for food and continue to cook delicious meals."

She smiles, looking reassured, and bumps my shoulder playfully with hers. "I love you too." She leans over, kissing my cheek.

"Or you can pay me in kisses. That works too" I grin broadly.

"Oh yeah?" grinning, she raises an eyebrow, "like this?" she kisses my other cheek "Or this?" A quick peck lands on my lips this time. She's so cute.

"Hmm?" I pretend to consider "I think either would be good but I like the second one better." She leans back over to me, placing a more lingering kiss on my lips. I tug on her hand, urging her body to come closer to mine. Obligingly, she scoots over until our hips are pressed against each other, necks bent to keep our lips together.

We continue that way until my neck starts to hurt from the position so I cautiously reach out a hand to her hip, tugging on the fabric of her shorts. She must understand what I want because she moves to straddle my hips, a little awkwardly but without hesitating.

This position is better and worse. Better for my neck, worse for my will power. Her large chest is now pressed up against mine and I can feel each breath she takes. I rest one hand against the side of her neck and the other on her hip.

She pulls away from me slightly. "I like these kinds the best though." She whispers, slightly out of breath.

I nod vigorously until she leans forward again, touching her lips to mine. I give a little sigh of contentment. There's nothing better than kissing Hinata. Except maybe touching her. Or talking to her. Or being near her. Okay maybe there's just nothing better than Hinata in general.

Her hands circle around the back of my neck and I drop both of mine to her waist, squeezing gently. Her tongue glides tentatively across my bottom lip. I open my mouth and our kiss deepens.

I feel her heartbeat quicken against my chest. We continue to kiss for a while and just as my will power is about to crumble, Hinata pulls away again, slumping her head so her forehead rests against my shoulder, her arms wrapping around my torso. "Why?" she whispers.

Rubbing small circles into her back, I ask "Why what, Nata?"

"Why would my father say those things?"

"I don't know. He said it was a test." I continue rubbing her back, hoping it's soothing her.

"But that doesn't even make sense. I don't even think my father likes me. Why would he put you through such weird tests of character on my behalf?"

I give a little shrug so I don't disturb her resting head too much. "It seems like he was doing it for you."

A little scoffing sound escape her throat, "I think he's just worried if you're not good enough it'll look bad for the clan if we got married. Everything he does is to make the clan look good." she sighs heavily. "That's why I turned down being head of the clan, you know. I just can't do that, be mean to people to keep up appearances. It's awful."

My brain happily conjures a picture of Hinata in the fine wedding kimono of our village for a second before I answer, pulling her into a tight hug, "I think you would have been different than that if you had taken the position but I get why you don't want to. It's a decision you're happy with so it was the right one. As for your father ... I can go punch him if you want. He deserves it."

She giggles at that, as I'd hoped she would, nuzzling her face into the crook of my neck and shoulder. "No, don't do that. He's not worth it. Just stay here and hold me. That's what I want."

"Okay! No problems there for me."

We cuddle in silence for a while.

"Do you think I would have done a good job, in my own way, if I had taken over?" She asks in a small voice.

I picture it; Hinata lifting the stupid branding of the branch clan, having people work together, everyone being trained if they want to be. She wouldn't force anyone to die for their brother. "Absolutely. You're so strong and compassionate, Nata. You would have really changed things for the better. And if you father doesn't see that then to hell with him."

"Thank you, Naruto." she still has that small voice.

"Hey you can head our clan!"

"Our clan?" she laughs a little.

"Yeah, we can be a clan. The Naruto and Hinata clan. You'll make all kinds of good decisions."

Laughing a little harder, she sits up, looking at my face, "Just don't go calling me Lady Hinata or anything like that."

"As you wish, Lady Hinata" I say with mock seriousness.

She punches my shoulder gently, then yawns, hiding her mouth behind her hand.

"Alright, time for bed. We can beat up Hiashi later. Kidding" I add as she cocks an eyebrow at me. I stand up quickly, cradling her in my arms before she can get off my lap. I don't want to stop holding her. And I don't the whole rest of the night. We both drift off wrapped up in each other's arms.


	16. Naruto and Hinata: a Reunion

(A/n Sorry it's been awhile since I updated. I got switched to the early shift at work for a month and then I got some bad personal news. I'm also way out of steam for this fic. I don't usually write multiple chapter fics. And I long ago exhausted my original idea for this one. So this is the end. Thanks for staying with me through it all. You guys are why I kept writing. I have a couple other Naruto fics if you can't get enough. Lol. Anyways seriously thanks everyone. Hope you enjoy this last one. Warning, smut ahead)

The next morning, I'm rudely booted out of sleep by the ring of my cell phone. I grapple sleepily with it, trying to hurry do I don't wake Hinata.

"Hello," I whisper, turning my head from the still figure beside me.

"NARUTO UZUMAKI!" I slap a hand over the speaker quickly, slipping off the bed and into the hall. "Are you _living_ with Hinata? How long were you going to wait to tell me?"

"Sakura?" I murmur, rubbing a hand over my face.

"Yes it's Sakura! Answer my question, Naruto!"

"Which one?" I chuckle, picturing her angry scowl. "Yes I am living with Hinata. I didn't tell you cuz it just happened and it wasn't really planned. Her father was being psycho and she asked if she could stay. I want actively keeping it from you. It's just so much has happened and I haven't seen you...wait, who'd you hear it from!?"

"Kiba. But he heard it from Shino...who probably only knows because of his bugs. Okay so you weren't keeping it from me but you still should have said something. I'm your best friend, knuckle head."

I roll my eyes a little at the moniker. "Well I'm telling you now; Sakura, I'm living with Hinata. More like she's living with me, I guess. We're in my apartment."

She silent for a moment. "Okay then." She huffs, barely appeased, "well do you want to train together since I woke you up?"

"Yeah, meet you in twenty?"

She agrees and we hang up. Groaning and stretching, I slip into some work out clothes and grab a bottle of water. I scribble a note to Hinata and go kiss her gently on the cheek before quietly leaving the apartment, scarfing an energy bar as I go. In an attempt to wake up more fully, I jog to the training grounds.

Sakura waves when she sees me and I call a quick 'hey' as we stretch.

I can tell Sakura is bubbling with questions from the set of her mouth and the way she keeps glancing over at me then quickly away. "Go ahead" I finally relent, preparing for the worst. Sakura sure can talk.

"What happened with Lord Hiashi? Why did she move in with you when I know she has a nice house of her own in the complex? How long exactly has she been there?"

I cut her off by raising a hand almost right up to her face. She scowls at first, but softens when I open my mouth.

"We could have just gone for breakfast if all you wanted was to gossip," I tease. "The thing with Hiashi was confusing." I attempt to sum it up for her ending with telling her how mad Hinata was by the whole encounter. "So she didn't want to be anywhere near her father. That's why we're at my place. It's just been a few days."

"Wow... so does he care about Hinata or just the clan name? Tough distinction," she intones, jumping up and sliding into a combat stance. "Come on, train and gossip." I laugh as I mirror her pose, altering it slightly to fit my style of fighting.

"Chakra or no?"

She shakes her head and lunges at me. I duck away, even without chakra her punches hurt like hell.

"So you're good with her living there?" She sweeps a leg out that I see just in time, managing to jump the worst of it, only stumbling a little.

I land a few minor blows before answering. "Of course I'm good with her living there. I love Hinata. I always want her around. It's just a little ...hard sometimes." Immediate word choice regret. My cheeks flush and she notices.

"Hard?" A raised eyebrow as she stops my arm an inch or so from her neck.

"Yeah, because...well because she is very pretty and my willpower is not strong." I huff, avoiding her gaze, which means I take a few punches and jabs.

She snorts loudly, "so no sex yet then?"

"No," I grunt.

"Because you want to wait?" I nod. "For what? Marriage?" She snorts again.

"No, just... something slightly more special than coming home from work and going at it. That first time..." I trail off.

"Yeah I get it. You want to make up for leaving. But here's the thing," she knocks me down with a powerful jab right in the chest. My breath puffs out of me but I struggle back to my feet as she lands a blow on the ground where I was. "I don't think you need to make up for anything, Naruto. Hinata has obviously forgiven you. And she doesn't seem to want to wait for anything from what you've told me before. Just buy her some flowers, tell her she's pretty and kiss her good and long so she knows what you want."

"What are you an expert now? Last I checked, I have more experience than you Sakura." She's embarrassed for a moment so I get a few good hits in, making her stumble back into some training equipment.

She leaps backward over the stuff, "yeah but i know how girls think, duh. And while I don't know Hinata that well personally, I can see how she acts around you." She pulls a disgusted face before adding "she wants you. So just, ya know, go for it." In a softer voice she adds, "Hinata will think it's special no matter what because of how she feels about you. Don't worry about it so hard."

Those words preoccupy me the rest of the day, making my training clumsy. When I say goodbye to Sakura she grins at me like she knows what I'm thinking about, what I'm planning to do.

Sakura is right of course. Hinata would think it special no matter what. I'm the one who out on the brakes. To make it more special?

Or, says a small voice in the back of my head, maybe you don't think you really deserve it, deserve her, after what you did.

I tell that voice to stick it where the sun don't shine.

But maybe it's true. I do still feel incredibly guilty sometimes. When Hinata smiles at me for no apparent reason or when she touches my arm in passing. Those little shows of affection that i don't feel i deserve.

But, I argue with myself, Hinata loves me. She has forgiven me. It's okay to love her, to want her. And boy do I.

So as I'm waking slowly home, I stop at Ino's shop to buy the prettiest purple and white flowers I see. Ino teases me about them but puts a ribbon around them for no extra charge. "Tell Hinata I say hello."

I jog the rest of the way back to the apartment, eager to see Hinata. To talk to her about this. But she's gone when I get there. "Gone to get groceries xo Hinata" a note on the counter reads.

Alright

I can wait. I grab a glass of water for the flowers and then jump in the shower, not wanting to smell like a gym when we talk.

As I'm toweling off, I hear the door open and close. Hastily I tug on some clean clothes and dart out just as Hinata is touching a purple blossom tenderly.

She glances up at me "are these for me?"

"They sure are." I grin at her.

"What for?" She leans forward to smell them, closing her eyes.

"Because" my heart thumps with the love I feel for her "you're beautiful and I love you and I wanted to get them for you."

She smiles sweetly at me again, coming over to kiss me.

"Thank you," she murmurs happily, "I love you too" And there is no hesitation in her words, no fear or sadness her eyes. She truly has forgiven me. I think I can do the same.

I reach out to touch her hip lightly, pulling her back toward me. Leaning down, I press a kiss to her lips. Not like the sweet one she just gave me, a harder one, more insistent. Her eyes widen in shock for a moment but then she's kissing me back, looping her arms around my neck.

She steps closer to me until there's no more room between our bodies. I cup the back of her head in my hand, tentatively licking her bottom lip. Those soft lips open immediately against mine. I nip her lower lip gently, gliding my hands down her back to rest on her butt. Hinata brushes a hand along my jaw, my neck, along the collar of my t-shirt.

Then she pulls away and I'm about to stop completely, thinking she doesn't want to go any further, but her flushed lips kiss the same line of my jaw her hands just traced. And it feels so good. I lift her up to sit on the counter, nuzzling my face into her hair as she continues to kiss down my neck.

"Hinata," I breath, playing with the bottom hem of her shirt, my fingertips brushing the warm skin there.

She pulls back, looking at me questioningly. "Naruto?"

"Hmm?" I question, running a finger down her pale neck.

"What is this?" She squeezes her thighs around my hips to make her point.

Her question makes me very aware that I've done almost exactly what sales told me to do with Hinata. That's embarrassing. And it makes me stubble over my words. "I thought we could, I mean only if you want to, but I thought we could maybe, because I want you. I mean I want _to_ do this, if you do."

That sweet smile glances across her face again, probably enjoying my stuttering.

"Took you long enough to ask."

I know she's just playing but I can't help but be truthful with her. "I think I was holding onto the thought that I didn't deserve you in this way because of what I'd done." I scratch the back of my head. "I was punishing myself but you, you just looked at me with nothing but love and I thought maybe since you could forgive me that I could forgive myself." I touch my forehead to hers, placing a hand on each of her hips. "I promise I'll never leave you again, believe it. I want to be with you forever, Hinata. So will you be with me?"

I'm asking for more than just the physical of tonight and I think she understands that as she nods, biting her lower lip slightly. "I will" she whispers, then she tugs her shirt off, making it very clear she's also talking about being with me now.

I scoop her up and walk us to the bedroom, kissing her fiercely.

Carefully, I sit down on the bed, Hinata straddling my waist. She wastes no time, running a hand through my hair, the other clutching the bottom hem of my t-shirt. Her enthusiasm send a jolt of desire through my body. Her half naked torso might have something to do with it also.

I trail my fingers slowly up the silky skin of her back, coming to a stop at her bras thick band. I work my fingers underneath and tug it upward. Her arms shoot up and i take the piece of clothing off the rest of the way.

Jeez her breasts are prefect. Milky and smooth with a slight flush of desire. And huge. Wow.

I must be taking too long because she grabs one of my hands and forcibly places it on her chest. Watching her face, I run my thumb over her hardened nipple a few times. A low hiss escapes her as her eyes close. My other hand snakes around her waist as I lean forward to kiss her again. Another long, passionate kiss that makes me restless.

Hinata reaches for the hem of my shirt again, so i lift my arms up as she did a few minutes ago, and she pulls it off.

Her fingertips dance along my stomach, running through the coarse, blonde hair under my belly button before lazily drifting up to my chest. I shudder pleasantly. Her pink tongue darts out to lick her lower lip as her eyes follow her hand's course.

Wow she's hot.

Suddenly, I get very nervous, wanting to make sure this is perfect.

That tongue finds the sensitive spots on my neck, leaving me panting. By now my pants are seriously straining against my erection. I'm sure she can feel it, sitting as close as she is.

She pushes me back until I'm laying on my back and leans over me, her hair tickling my bare chest. I see her hands shake just a little as she works her fingers under the elastic of my sweatpants. Is she nervous too? That's comforting.

I lean up, kissing her, until I feel her tug at my pants again and understand she wants them off. Lifting my hips up gives her enough room to push them down my thighs and I kick them off the rest of the way for her. All the motion brings my hips in contact with hers and the sensation makes me grunt with pleasure.

Hinata gets on all fours above me, pressing her lips along my jaw again. I work the button and zipper of her jeans open and pull the fabric until she maneuvers them off one leg at a time, causing her breasts to jiggle alluring in front of me. I grip one in each hand, squeezing the warm mounds before sliding to palm the side if each, running my thumbs over her nipples again. She gasps loudly, pressing herself more firmly against me.

She works a hand between us and touches the bulge in the boxers, feeling out the shape of me through the fabric. This elicites a low moan from me. She slips a hand under the fabric and grasps my dick. The feel of her soft skin around me is almost to much to bear. "Hinata" I gasp, after she slides her hand up and down my member a little while.

"Hmm" she hums looking at me with lust hooded eyes.

"I won't last long if you keep doing that."

She gives me a cheeky grin but withdraws her hand, moving to pull her underwear off. I flip us so she's on her back and I'm hovering above her. I capture her lips again and kiss until we're breathless before moving down her body slowly, kissing and licking a lazy trail over her fair skin. Nudging her thighs apart, I place myself at her entrance.

"Naruto?" she murmurs shakily, spreading her legs a little further apart.

In answer, I flick my tongue over her clit, running a finger around the outside of her opening. Pervy Sage's book coming in handy for once as i hear Hinata breathing heavily, her fingers knotting into my hair. I look up at her, chest heaving, a slight flush to get skin. "N-naruto" she stammers. "I can't...I need you. Please."

I practically fly up her body. She starts to nudge my boxers down and i tear them off. I jump off the bed and grab the other thing I bought today from the pants I'd flung away earlier; a pack of condoms.

"Good thinking" Hinata smiles, glancing over to see what I'm doing. I quickly tear one open and figure out how to slide it on. Last time we didn't use any protection and thankfully nothing happened but no chances this time.

She beckons me over to her and I go, quickly, already missing the warmth of her soft but strong body. I reposition myself over her, the tip of my shaft barely touching her warm entrance. Tugging my face down to hers, she hooks a leg around my hip, effectively bringing my whole body closer to hers. Gently, I slide into her waiting body. Slowly, giving us both time to adjust. I hear Hinata moan wantonly and her thighs tighten around me.

God she feels amazing. So warm and wet. I could come undone just from this but I slide back out, creating that delicious friction we both desire. Again I go slowly but Hinata bucks her hips up to meet mine and I can't hold back. I keep up a fast rhythm, pleased nearly senseless just by the soft moans and panting Hinata provides. I shift the angle of my hips a bit and Hinata jerks around me.

She calls my name loudly, a long drawn out oath of pleasure. If I didn't already know it, I do now. There is no leaving this woman ever again. I'd rather die.

And die I might this evening, from pleasure. I feel a warmth building inside me, threatening to break at any second. "Nata?" I growl. She seems to know what I'm asking as she's nodding fervently, her chest heaving again. She whispers that she's close and it's all i can do to hold back. I reach between us, finding her sensitive bundle of nerves and circle my thumb around it until she cries out, digging her nails into my back. Her legs tighten around my hips and her walls around my dick. Only then do I let myself go. Pleasure courses through every part of my body. I'm shaking with it. Oblivious to anything that isn't me and Nata.

When I finally come back down, I pull away and clean up quickly then crush Hinata to my body.

"Wow"

"Yeah?" I ask, "so I - I did okay?"

"More than okay" she laughs, nuzzling against my side, sliding her arms around me. It's the best feeling, having her so close, feeling her shaky, rapid breathing slow down.

Once our breathing returns to normal, she shifts beside to look at me head on, smirking "So what now?"

A flood of images I've imagined for our future pass across my eyes; marriage, kids, careers, a nice house. But I settle for something less serious and more immediate. I lean over and give her a lingering kiss while rolling her body on top of mine. She giggles, picking up on my intentions.

After all there's three more condoms in that box.

* * *

A/n so that's that! I'm done with this fic. Thank you so much for reading. Sorry it has to end but I'm out of steam. Hope you all enjoyed. Peace out


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